Ex Marks the Spot
by Natchez
Summary: Andy and Sharon are dealing with exes. Follows the "Cold Red" timeline. Rated "M" mostly for safety.
1. Chapter 1: All My Exes Live in LA

**A/N:** Another story from the "Cold Red" timeline. Troubles with exes - so far. We'll see where it goes. Please read and review!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: All my Exes Live... in L.A.<strong>

If you could actually hear birdsong in downtown Los Angeles, this would be the day to hear it, Sharon Raydor thought, looking out of her sixth-floor window. The sky was blue and the temperature was mild. It was, in short, a perfect spring day and Sharon wished she were anywhere but stuck in an office. Especially while Andy Flynn was sitting in the stands of Dodger Stadium, watching a game, scarfing peanuts, drinking Diet Coke and yelling at the umpires. She wasn't such a huge baseball fan, but she would have enjoyed grubbing in the yard, getting a head start on planting her summer zinnias. But Andy had asked for the afternoon off two weeks ago. She knew he would come home tanned dark and griping about the pitching staff, but happy. She sighed. On top of all that, her car was in the shop and one of her sergeants was taking her home. Andy offered to take the bus to the game so she could have his car, but Sharon said she could catch a ride.

Oh well, there was work to be done, certainly. Sharon sat down and started logging information into personnel files. Perhaps half an hour later, her sergeant, Holly Campbell, tapped on her door and peeked inside. "Captain? I hate to bother you, but I got a really strange phone call just now."

"Really? What kind of call?"

The sergeant shook her head. "I don't know how to describe it, except as 'weird.' It was a man. He said he wanted to report an officer-related assault and insisted on speaking directly with you. In person."

"Are you serious?" Sharon rolled her eyes. Just what she needed: a run-in with another of the endless variety of weirdos in Los Angeles. She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Tell him I'll be glad to see him this afternoon," she sighed.

"He wants you to meet him. Here." Holly handed her captain an address.

Sharon peered at it and looked it up. "The Four Seasons hotel. Is this guy _nuts_? Wait a minute. I answered my own question. Of course, he is. Did he say who the officer in question is?"

"Nope. Just that he wanted to report an assault and he knew you're the head of Internal Affairs. I don't guess you could just blow him off and not go, could you?"

She shook her head wearily. "No. I'll have to at least meet him and give him a hearing. Why do these nutjobs always call the police? Why can't they call, I don't know, the mayor's office for a change? Just for a little variety?"

Holly grinned at her captain. "Dunno, Cap. But I'll take you over there. I need a few minutes out of this rat hole, anyway."

"O.K. Thanks," Sharon answered, and picked up her purse and a legal pad. It wasn't the first time she had to meet some idiot who wanted to make a report.

As they got in the car, Holly took her phone out of her pocket. "Oh, great," she said, and rapidly sent a text.

"Problems?" Sharon asked.

"Just my idiot boyfriend. Guess that's kind of redundant, huh?" she answered.

Sharon chuckled. "Once in a while."

"So where's the lieutenant?" Holly asked, speaking of Andy.

"At a Dodgers game, having a wonderful time."

Her sergeant snickered. "Maybe not. They were getting their butts kicked. Last score I saw was 6-0, Giants."

Sharon sighed. "Looks like another long season for Andy," she said.

"Seems like it," Holly replied.

At the hotel, Sharon said, "Just go on back downtown. I'll catch a cab back, or call you."

"You sure, Captain? I can wait."

"I've got my weapon. I'm fine," Sharon assured her sergeant. She didn't know who this idiot was who wanted to see her, but she wasn't taking up her sergeant's afternoon with it.

"All right, Captain. I'll see you later, then."

"See you," she answered, and got out of the car. A room number came with the address and she walked through the opulent lobby to the elevators. She located the room and knocked on the door. "Captain Raydor, LAPD," she called.

The door opened, but she saw no one, and assumed the occupant was behind the door. Paranoid. Crap. She stepped inside, her hand on the gun in her purse. Suddenly, the door closed behind her and hands grabbed her shoulders. She was turned around and a man's mouth descended on hers. She struggled furiously to free herself and finally shoved Andy away from her. He was grinning like a lunatic.

"Surprised?"

"You idiot! What did you do that for? I thought you were at the ballgame!" She drew her hand from her purse, gripping her pistol. "I could have shot you!"

"I planned for that. You notice I kept your right side pinned," he chuckled. "And that ballgame was a disaster from the first inning, and I thought you should have a good afternoon, too, so here we are."

Now the adrenaline was draining out of her system, she noticed all her husband wore was a towel around his waist. Still... "Why didn't you just call me, and why one of the most expensive places in town? We have a house, you know."

Andy rolled his eyes. "And they say _men_ are the ones who can't be romantic." He went to Sharon and carefully disarmed her, placing the weapon back in her purse, which he left on a side table. Then, he came back to her and said, "We haven't been anywhere since right after Christmas. What do they call this – a 'staycation?' So, I decided you needed a break, went by home and picked up some things for you. And Holly's a champ."

"You and my sergeant cooked this up between you?" Sharon wasn't really surprised. Since they had been together, Andy had managed to endear himself to her squad, and Holly was his biggest fan.

"Yep. She texted me when she had you in the car, so I knew about when you'd be here." He laughed. "It's not often I get one on you, Sharon, babe, but this time, I got you good."

She smiled ruefully. "O.K., O.K. I concede. You got me. Now what?"

"We have a good time." Andy's dark eyes told her exactly what that included – not that she hadn't already figured it out.

"I see." She still couldn't believe Andy had done this. He could be so unpredictable. "You're crazy, you know it?"

"I know it," he said, grinning. "And you're definitely overdressed." His hands moved to her blazer and he flicked the buttons open and slid it off her shoulders.

"Andy, I really need to get back to work."

He shook his head. "No, you don't. Holly said it was dead around there. I know just exactly what you _need_, and it isn't work." He twined one hand in her hair and slowly, slowly, moved his mouth down to hers. He traced just the tip of his tongue around the outline of her lips, and pressed his other hand against the small of her back, then slid it up to the neck of her blouse, and deepened the kiss as he unzipped it. Sharon's arms came around him and she stroked the skin on his back and stepped out of her shoes.

"I never can decide whether I like buttons or zippers more," Andy's voice teased her ear. "Zippers are quicker, for sure," he breathed.

"Pig."

"Wicked, wicked witch," Andy responded, turning the words into an erotic caress that sent a stab of heat through Sharon. He pulled her blouse over her head and kissed the hollow of her throat. He looked appreciatively at her bra – a simple cream cotton one trimmed in lace. He didn't care. Lace, cotton, silk – it was all good. "Going casual?" he said with a smile.

"It was clean," she answered, "and I didn't feel like looking for another one."

Andy pulled her hips to meet his body and ran his hands over her rear. "Do the panties match?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "You should know they don't. You ripped the matching ones. And you haven't replaced them yet."

His grin was evil. "Sorry about that, but it's not a big deal. Not like you'll be wearing them long." Andy unbuttoned the waist of her skirt and unzipped it, sliding it off her hips. He kissed her deeply and brought his hands back up to unhook her bra. It fell to the floor and Andy was kissing her again and pressing his body to hers.

Sharon's head always started to swim when he did that. The feel of his chest hair against her bare skin was too delicious. But he didn't allow her to enjoy it long. He picked her up and carried her to the enormous bed and dropped her into the middle of it. She handed him her glasses. "Put these on the nightstand, will you?" she said.

"Sure," he answered and did as she asked.

"Now, drop that towel, Lieutenant," Sharon commanded.

Andy chuckled. "Yes, Captain," he replied and untucked it, allowing it to fall to the floor. He crawled across the bed and took her in his arms, once again pressing his body to hers. She was all softness and satin skin against him, and as he kissed her temples, her ears, her face, her chin and finally, her mouth, he wondered once more how he had managed to attract a woman of Sharon's caliber. Then he stopped thinking altogether, as Sharon slid down his chest and teased his nipples with her teeth and tongue. He exhaled roughly. "You know what that does to me."

"Oh, I know," she purred. Sharon could feel Andy's hands on her back, sending frissons of fire through her blood. He was so warm and so strong against her body. Sharon wasn't sure if Andy realized how that strength sustained her through every day. She kissed her way back up to his neck and found that little spot just underneath his ear and teased it with her tongue.

"Mmmm," he growled. "That's crazy-makin', babe."

"Yes," she hissed into his ear. "It is." She reached between them to caress his erection. "I want you crazy."

"Good start," was his only answer as he closed his eyes at the feel of Sharon's hands.

Whether it was the love they shared, Andy's lovemaking skills, or a combination of the two, Sharon realized she had never truly enjoyed and anticipated sex with any other man like she did with Andy. No man had ever made her go hot and cold just by walking into the room. But Andy could. Just the feel of his hand on her back as they took the elevator to their offices was enough to make her want to start tearing their clothes off. She gasped as Andy's hands found her breasts and made their way down her body.

"You're so beautiful, Sharon," he rasped, then had her on her back and was inside her body.

While a little sudden, she still wanted him and she arched her body to meet his. Andy's climax came quickly, but with deft fingers, he made sure Sharon found her release as well.

"Sorry I couldn't last any longer," he said, gathering her into his arms.

She chuckled. "It's all right, sweetheart. You know I'll take you any way I can have you."

Andy snickered. "I'll definitely remember that." He ran his hands through her hair, completely tousling it. "Well, you sure can't go back to work with your hair looking like that, so I guess you'll have to spend the afternoon right here with me. In bed."

"I've spent afternoons in worse ways," she replied.

* * *

><p>Sharon woke up to the most wonderful feeling of Andy nuzzling her neck and into her hair. "You always smell wonderful," he murmured.<p>

"Glad to hear it," she joked. "I'd hate to smell bad."

"Well, you have to be careful, since you hang out with a pig all the time," he returned.

Sharon chuckled, a sound that always made Andy's blood warm up. "Daily bathing is certainly necessary," she said.

"Yeah, you're right." He motioned to a covered cart. "I did get some snacks, if you're hungry."

"What are we, movie stars that we can hole up at the Four Seasons and order room service?"

Andy moved his mouth to her ear and very gently, nibbled her earlobe. "Movie stars for a day. We can go back to the real world tomorrow, right?"

"I guess so," she answered.

"Besides, you needed the break. You've been working a lot of long hours lately."

"You think so?"

"I know so," he replied. "You've fallen asleep on the sofa after work I don't know how many times in the past month. With your glasses on. So you needed at least an afternoon off."

Sharon snuggled close to her husband and stroked his face. "You take such good care of me, Andy."

"It's about time I took good care of at least one woman in my life."

"You get an A-plus from me," she said. She looked over to the side. Andy had thoughtfully left a T-shirt and yoga pants for her on the chair. She smiled at him and got up and put on the clothes. She went to the tray and looked at the offerings. "This looks delicious. I'm starving!" She fixed a plate that included fruit, hummus dip, crackers and chicken salad, which Andy had ordered just for her. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said.

"You're welcome." He sat up and grabbed his shorts from the chair on his side and then found his jeans and put them on. He assembled his own plate and motioned to Sharon. "Want to go outside on the balcony? It faces the garden, so it should be pretty quiet."

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

As they enjoyed their snacks on their terrace, Sharon looked around and took a deep breath. She felt the anxiety of the week melting away. She could hear the birds in the garden, and that, with a light breeze, made it a perfect afternoon. "This is just wonderful."

Andy smiled at his wife. "You need to take a day off once in a while, babe. At least so you can go dig in the yard."

She laughed. "I do need to get my hands in some dirt. I saw some beautiful caladium at the garden store and they would be so nice in that shady spot on the north wall."

"Caladium?" Andy's face was quizzical.

"An ornamental plant," and she explained how they looked.

"It's your yard, babe," was his only answer.

* * *

><p>"What time is checkout?" Sharon asked Andy the next morning.<p>

"Noon. Why?"

"Just curious. This was a great idea," she said, giving him a kiss as she sat on the bed next to him.

"I kind of thought it was, too. Sometimes, I hit a home run," he said, a little smugly.

Sharon just chuckled and leaned back against the headboard. They dozed until several sharp knocks sounded on the door.

"What the…?" Sharon said.

A voice came through the door. "Lieutenant Flynn? Hollywood Division. We need to ask you some questions."

Andy looked over at Sharon. "What the hell is this about?" He started pulling on his jeans and Sharon raced to dress. "Just a second," he answered.

When he opened the door, two officers and a detective waited. "Come in," he said.

"Lieutenant Flynn, I'm Detective Owens, Hollywood Division," the man introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you. What's going on?"

"Where were you last night about 10 p.m.?"

"Here. In this room. Why?"

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"I can," Sharon said. "Captain Sharon Raydor, Internal Affairs, LAPD. How did you find us here?"

"Lieutenant Flynn called his partner, Lieutenant Provenza, to let him know his whereabouts, in case someone needed to contact him," Detective Owens answered.

"O.K. Detective. So what's all this about?"

The man flipped his notebook open. "Your wife said you made harassing hang-up calls and drove by her house several times before throwing a rock through her window."

Andy's jaw dropped and he was speechless for a moment. "My _wife_?" he spluttered. "My _wife_? My wife is right here, Detective. Captain Raydor and I were married last year and before that, I was single. Since 1997, when my second divorce was final."

"Can you confirm that, also?" Detective Owens said.

Sharon rose and came to stand beside Andy. "Yes, we can confirm it. Call the chief of your own IA department. He's well aware of the situation, since he agreed that his department would conduct any investigations against Lieutenant Flynn, should it be necessary. Or, you can call Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, Lieutenant Flynn's supervisor, who attended our wedding. Or Chief William Pope, for that matter." Her voice had slipped into the "Raydor monotone," designed to intimidate, and Andy grinned. It was working.

"I see," Detective Owens said.

Before he could say anything else, Sharon said, "And who is the complainant?"

"A Misty Flynn?" the detective answered.

Andy's eyes widened. "Misty? She was my second wife, but like I said, the divorce was final in '97. Why the hell would she be filing a complaint on me? I haven't even spoken to her since the last time we were in court! I don't even know where she lives." He paused. "Wait a minute. Was she, by any chance, a little intoxicated when she gave you the report?"

"I really couldn't say, Lieutenant," Owens replied.

"Which means she probably was. Look, I have no idea why Misty decided I did whatever it is she said happened, but it was probably one of her dope-dealing boyfriends. I guarantee you I was here all night long."

"All right, Lieutenant. I'm sorry we disturbed you. If I need to contact you, how can I get in touch?"

Andy fished one of his cards from his wallet and handed it to the detective. "Right here."

The detective nodded as he took the card. "We'll be going. Again, so sorry to disturb you and your wife."

Andy nodded and the men left. He turned to Sharon. "I swear to God I don't know what that was about," he said.

"Sounds like she's gone off her rocker," she answered.

"Wouldn't be the first time." He looked at his wife. "Well, I think that pretty much blew the mood. Ready to go home?"

Sharon nodded. She reached up to kiss Andy and stroked his face. "It was still a wonderful idea and I enjoyed it."

He turned to hold her in his arms. "So did I, babe."

As they drove home, Andy puzzled over the situation. "I can't even start to imagine why Misty would do this. I mean, she's a mental case and always has been, but this is a little extreme, even for her."

"Has she been in contact with you, that you know of?" Sharon asked.

"No way. I told Owens the truth when I said the last time I heard from her was in the courtroom. Well, I take that back. She sent me a couple of nasty letters a few months after the divorce, accusing me of keeping some piece of crap jewelry of hers, but it was just to harass me. Other than that, nothing." He glanced at Sharon and could see the wheels turning as she analyzed the known facts. She was scary when she started to put puzzle pieces together. It was a trait she shared with Brenda, but he would never say anything because the very idea would have horrified either woman.

Sharon tapped her nails on the armrest. "Well, something undeniably prompted this, and I think she threw up your name for a reason. If all this did happen to her, she knows you didn't do it. Why would you?"

"Maybe I was just convenient."

"Possibly, but I wonder if she put your name out there so someone would take her seriously."

Andy nodded slowly. "You're thinking that maybe some idiot has been harassing her, she's called the police, but they just thought she was nuts, so she mentioned me, knowing they'd have to do something?"

"It's something to consider," Sharon answered.

He snorted with amusement. "I never would have thought she was that smart. Somebody must have suggested it to her."

"Surely, she's not that dumb, Andy. I mean, really."

"You never met her," he replied. When they got to the house, Rosie's car was in the driveway. Andy chuckled. "She must be out of groceries," he said.

Sharon grinned. "Maybe so."

Rosie had been in her room and came to meet them. "Hi Mom. Hi Dad," she said, giving them each a hug.

"Hi sweetheart. What brings you over here?" Sharon asked.

Rosie rolled her eyes. "Let's sit down."

This was ominous, Sharon thought, but they all went into the den and sat.

"Bob called me today," Rosie said without preamble. Bob was her biological father.

"Oh, really?" Sharon said. "What did he want?"

The younger woman shook her head. "Said he wanted to talk to me and Matt."

Sharon looked at Andy, then back at Rosie. "About what?"

Rosie shrugged. "My guess is he's probably been dumped by yet another one of his bimbette girlfriends and is looking to see what you're up to, through us. He _said_ he wanted to catch up with us."

Sharon harrumphed. "Pardon me for being suspicious of his fatherly intentions."

Her daughter grinned. "Me too. He never contacts us unless he wants something. And he never contacts you because he knows you won't talk to him."

"Indeed, I won't. I have nothing to say to that man."

"I don't have much good to say about him, that's for sure," Rosie agreed. "He wanted to meet us at Vittone's tonight. Isn't that where you two used to go when you were dating?"

Sharon nodded. "Yeah. I haven't been back since the divorce. It's a great place, but there are just too many bad memories." She smiled at Andy as he patted her hand reassuringly. "How did he know Matt was out for spring break, anyway?" she asked.

Rosie shrugged. "Probably Matt's Facebook page. I've been after him to tighten up his privacy settings, but he hasn't done it."

"What did you tell him?"

"That I'd let him know. Matt said he's willing to go, but Mom, I don't really want to see Bob. He's always out for something. There's something really hinky about him."

Sharon rolled her eyes at Rosie's use of cop slang and Andy chuckled. "She's your daughter, Captain," he said, then to Rosie, "Need some muscle along? I'd be glad to sit close by and you could call in the cavalry if you need to."

Rosie's anxious expression changed to one of relief. "Oh, would you? That would be so great!"

Andy grinned widely. "What am I here for if not to look out for my girl? Girls," he amended, winking at Sharon, who nudged him with her elbow. "What time?"

"Seven," Rosie answered.

"I'll be there a little early then," Andy said.

Rosie got up and went to hug Andy. "I love you, Dad," she said.

"Love you too, sweetheart," he answered, returning the hug.

As she went to the door, Rosie turned and looked at her mother. "Mom, you got it right this time," she said.

Sharon just smiled. "I know I did. I'll see you later."

"O.K." Rosie blew them a kiss and left.

Sharon leaned against Andy and sighed hugely. "Would you care to offer a few appropriate words from your extensive and profane Jersey vocabulary?"

He laughed and put his arm around Sharon's shoulders. "I could, but why waste good obscenities on a jerk like that?"

"I just wish I knew what he was up to. Every time he calls the kids to 'spend time' with them, he wants something."

"Yeah. I wish I knew what was circling around in Misty's pea brain, too. Maybe we should introduce them. Then they could spend all their time bitching about us!"

Sharon snickered. "Sounds like they deserve each other."

Andy's cell rang and he answered it. "Flynn."

"Lieutenant Flynn?" came Brenda's voice. "Can you tell me why I got a call from Chief Pope about you throwing a rock through some woman's window?"

Andy sighed. "Chief, I don't have a clue what's going on. I already spoke with Detective Owens from Hollywood Division. It was my second ex, and she's probably fighting with one of her loser boyfriends."

"How did you get involved?"

"I _didn't_, Chief!" Andy exclaimed. "She said it was me, but Sharon and I were together after I left the ball game."

"Hmmm," Brenda mused. "Well, I guess I'll just have to call Chief Pope and make sure he understands the situation. But you're sure you were nowhere near her house last night?"

"I don't even know where she lives, swear to God," he answered.

"All right. Well, I've followed up, which is what I told Will I'd do, but don't you contact her or anything."

Andy's laugh was rueful. "Chief, I don't want to talk to her ever again!"

"O.K. I'll see you Monday then."

"See you, Chief." He clicked off the call. "Dammit," he said.

"How did Brenda find out?"

"Someone went to the Vatican."

Sharon shook her head. "Oh, to get my hands on that individual." She made a twisting motion with her hands.

"What would you do, shoot him with a beanbag gun?" Andy teased.

"And then beat him to death with the butt of the darn thing!" she snapped.

* * *

><p>Andy got to the restaurant ahead of Rosie and Matt. Bob was already there; he recognized him from a couple of photos in the family scrapbooks. Andy sat where he could see and hear, but not where he would be noticeable. He ordered a salad and risotto and waited for the kids. When they came in, Rosie looked around for him and spotting him, exhaled in relief.<p>

Bob stood as Matt and Rosie approached the table and shook hands with Matt. Something in Rosie's face made him stop before hugging her, though. Andy looked the man over. Tall, rangy, sandy-haired. Matt and Rosie looked like Sharon and her people. Not much of the Raydor blood in them, as far as he could tell.

"How are you guys doing? It's great to see you!" Bob said. They all sat and an uncomfortable silence fell. Bob cleared his throat. "So, tell me. What have you all been doing with yourselves?"

"We're both still in school. Rosie's in her last year at USC, in criminal justice and I've got two more quarters to get my master's in accounting," Matt answered.

"That's good. People are always looking for a good accountant. So, Rose, what are you planning to do with a criminal justice degree? Go to law school?"

"Maybe. I've also been thinking about applying to the academy when I graduate."

"Following in your mom's footsteps, huh? How is she, anyway?"

"Fine," Rosie answered. "She's great."

Bob heard something close to laughter in Rosie's tone and looked sharply at her. There was obviously something she wasn't telling him. "What's she been up to, lately?"

"This and that," Matt answered. "Mostly work. She's been pretty busy the past few weeks."

"Lots of cops beating up innocent people?" Bob clearly thought this was hilarious. Rosie and Matt were not amused, though, and Andy rolled his eyes at that statement. What a prick.

"The LAPD is a big force. There's always something to check out," Matt replied.

"I'm sure there is. So, anything interesting going on? I get the impression something's up."

"Like what?" Rosie asked.

"I dunno. With your mom. She seeing someone or something like that?" Bob's tone wasn't as friendly as it had been.

Matt shook his head. "Why in the world do you care?"

"She's your mom. Of course I care about her."

"What about you? Anyone special in your life?" Rosie said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Not anymore, no. Just broke up with someone."

"I'm sorry," she answered, trying to sound sincere.

"Yeah. Well, I heard about that lawsuit against that crazy woman who's a chief in the department. Your mom having to deal with any of that?"

"Some," Matt said cautiously. Bob was an investment banker and had close ties to a lot of attorneys, so it wasn't too surprising that he knew about the lawsuit. "But she doesn't talk much about it."

"I'm not surprised. That would be against the rules, and one thing about Sharon Raydor: she always follows the rules."

That statement got such a grin from Andy, that Rosie was obliged to duck her head over her salad so she couldn't see his face.

"Yeah, Mom stays pretty close to the rulebook," Matt answered.

"So what kind of work did she have done on the house last year? I saw some contractors there when I was on my way to see a client in the neighborhood."

Rosie shrugged. "Just remodeled the master bath, that's all."

"From a group called Mobility Now contractors? I looked them up. They specialize in fitting out homes for people with mobility issues."

"So? Mom wanted one of those walk-in bathtubs. She saw some at a home show and liked them." Matt fielded that comment.

"That's not the Sharon I know. She wouldn't just up and make that kind of change without a reason. You guys are dancing all around something and I want to know what it is."

Andy looked over at Rosie, but she hadn't motioned him to their table, yet.

"Mom was in a wreck in February of last year. Drunk driver rear-ended her into an oncoming car. She was in the hospital six weeks and in rehab for nearly five weeks. But she's back at work and doing well," Rosie answered.

"My God! Why didn't you call me?" Andy thought Bob's reaction was genuine, but you never knew.

"Honestly, would you have come?" Matt asked. "You'd have said all the appropriate things on the phone and we never would have seen you. C'mon. Be real. When Mom was in the hospital after Rosie was born and she was so sick, you disappeared. Aunt Laura told me so. Mom never did tell me. But we know, anyway."

"That's been years ago. I think I've grown up a little since then, Matthew," Bob replied.

"Yeah, well, sorry we didn't call, then."

Bob shot Matt a dirty look, then asked, "Did you guys get the help you needed?"

"Yes we did. The people in Mom's division were great. So were the Major Crimes folks," Rosie answered.

"Major Crimes? What's Major Crimes got to do with it? They don't think Sharon's accident was deliberate, do they?"

_Here it comes,_ Andy thought.

Rosie and Matt grinned at each other. "No, but Mom was dating a lieutenant from that division. So they helped, too," she said.

"Is she still dating this guy?" Bob asked.

"Well, I don't know if you'd call it _dating_…" Rosie's voice trailed off.

Bob rolled his eyes. "Either they're still seeing each other or they're not."

Matt nodded. "I guess you'd call, well, _married_, still seeing each other, wouldn't you?" Andy had to chuckle inwardly. Both kids were cool as cucumbers.

"_Married_? Your mom has remarried? Without telling me?" Now Bob was extremely irritated.

"Why should she tell you? You're not paying her alimony, and the child support ended when we turned 19. She didn't have to tell you a thing," Rosie said, her tone firm.

Bob couldn't argue with that logic, so he said, "Well, I would still have liked to know. When did she get married?"

"First week of September," Matt said.

"Who did she marry?"

"Lieutenant Andy Flynn." That was Rosie.

"Flynn. Flynn? Didn't he like, get attacked or something a while back? Seems like I saw it on TV or something."

"As a matter of fact, he did," Matt answered. "It was pretty bad, Mom said."

"Over thirty stitches. Closer to fifty, I think. But he's really great. They're crazy about each other." Rosie knew she was twisting the knife, but she didn't really care. "They went to Lake Tahoe on their honeymoon and Andy booked the bridal suite at Harrah's. You should see the pictures."

Andy had never realized how devious Rosie could be, but it figured. She was just like her mom in that respect. He knew that Bob hadn't taken Sharon on much of a honeymoon, and so did Rosie.

"Well, isn't that nice?" Bob replied. He looked like he had swallowed a handful of nails. "And where was the wedding?"

"In the LAPD chapel. It's a pretty place. And Mom just looked gorgeous! You could tell she was so happy," Rosie chirped.

Andy wanted to lie down in the booth and howl with laughter. Rosie had the opportunity to skewer Bob and she was running with it. He could tell Matt wasn't going to stop her, either.

"I'm so glad she's happy," Bob answered, in a tone suggesting he was anything but. He pushed his food around on his plate. "I had hoped she might be interested in talking to me."

"About what?" Matt said, all innocence. Andy leaned forward. He wanted to hear this.

"Oh, nothing in particular. Maybe dinner."

Rosie and Matt nodded at one another. "You were right," Matt said.

"What was she right about?"

"That you recently got dumped and were sniffing around to see if Mom was still available," he answered.

"That's not true. It's just been a while since I've seen her. I wanted to catch up, talk. That's all. We do have you guys in common, you know."

"Yeah," Rosie said drily, as she finished her meal. "Well, it's been nice seeing you, but I think it's time to go."

She and Matt stood and said their good-byes. Andy paid his check and left quietly through the other exit, leaving a thoroughly irritated Bob Raydor sitting alone.

* * *

><p>Rosie and Matt met Andy at home and they made Sharon alternately chuckle and cringe as they recounted the conversation with her ex-husband.<p>

"I'm glad I didn't have to sit through that," she said.

"Me too, Mom," Rosie agreed. "You'd have slapped him."

Sharon looked at Andy. "I still have that beanbag gun in my car," she said.

He laughed. "And I'll swear myself blind you never touched it," he snickered.

"I wouldn't shoot him between the eyes, though. I can think of a much more appropriate target," she replied.

Andy and Matt grimaced. "Ouch, Mom. Now I know where Rosie gets that mean streak."

"Close that smart mouth, young man," Sharon retorted, but her eyes were twinkling.

Andy's cell rang and he answered it. It was Brenda.

"Lieutenant, please tell me you've been somewhere someone has had their eyes on you all evening, and that you were nowhere near your ex's house tonight."

"Absolutely, Chief. Rosie and Matt were with me. And I told you: I have no idea where Misty even lives these days!"

"Well, she's here in the murder room, raising Cain and saying you've been harassing her on the phone. You'd better come in. Bring Rosie and Matt with you – and Sharon too, I guess. My Lord, what a godawful mess this is."

"O.K. Chief. We'll be there as soon as we can." He clicked off the call and looked at Sharon. "Load up, guys. We're taking a family trip to the police station."

Sharon stood and grabbed her purse. "Maybe I'll use my beanbag gun on that _other _idiot ex," she grumbled as they left for the department.


	2. Chapter 2: Ring Around the Exes

**A/N:** At last, an update! The muse has been a little reluctant to get back into the groove. Please continue to read and post those reviews! They're pure gold!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2: Ring Around the Exes<strong>

Brenda knew Andy was in the murder room the minute he walked in, even though she didn't see him. She heard his hand smack the door open hard enough that it stuck in the open position. He ignored it. "Take my chair, Sharon. Rosie, Matt, you guys can sit here. Where's the Chief?"

"Right here, Lieutenant," Brenda said, opening her office door. She was glad Andy's ire wasn't directed at her. His expression was not pleasant.

"Chief," he growled. "Where is she? I want to get this straightened out right now, once and for all."

"You and me both, Lieutenant," Brenda answered mildly. Andy was barely holding on to his temper, she could tell, and she was glad for Sharon's presence. If anyone could keep him from throttling his ex, it was Sharon Raydor Flynn – amazingly enough. She was the only person Brenda knew who could calm Andy when he was this angry.

"Ms. Brown, let's get this underway, if you don't mind," Brenda said to someone in her office.

"That's Mrs. Flynn, thank you," a sultry female voice answered.

"I use the name on the driver's license," Brenda replied.

Sharon's jaw dropped as Andy's second ex strolled out of the office. She was nearly his height, had an abundance of brown hair and a killer body. On closer inspection though, her skin was starting to show the effects of too many hours in the tanning beds, Sharon noted with intense satisfaction. And her boobs. How much money had gone into making them that big? She looked up at Andy and whispered. "What is she, a porn star?"

Andy didn't answer, but his ears turned cherry-red.

Sharon's eyes widened and she stood. "_Is_ she?"

Andy just glanced at his wife and said nothing.

Sharon was hard put not to burst into laughter, and the feeling was intensified by the twinkle in Brenda's eyes. Matt turned to look at the woman and it was his turn to gape. "Misty Minxx!" he said before he could stop himself. The red on Andy's ears spread to cover his face and neck.

Well, that explained a lot about why Andy's first wife wouldn't let him see the kids, Sharon thought, but their divorce was 12 years ago. And she knew he had been sober before that. Still, she had to let this woman know Andy was _her_ husband now. Period. She turned the "Raydor stare" on the tall brunette and then looked sharply at her son. "Matthew," she said in the Raydor monotone, "We'll discuss how you recognized this woman later."

He sank down in his chair. "O.K. Mom."

Rosie felt intense sympathy for her stepfather. She knew he had tried hard to put his past behind him, and here that past was in his workplace, throwing her fake boobs around for everyone to see, and trying to accuse him of harassing her. Anger replaced sympathy as Rosie contemplated scratching the woman's eyes out.

Brenda wouldn't have minded pulling out a few handfuls of that hair herself, for coming in and stirring up this kind of crap with her lieutenant (and friend), especially with this lawsuit mess hanging over her head. "All right, Lieutenant. Can you account for your whereabouts this evening?"

"I sure can. I was with Rosie and Matt at Vittone's from seven until about eight-thirty."

"He was definitely there, Chief Johnson," Rosie said.

"Did he use his cell phone at the time?" Brenda asked.

"No, Ma'am," Matt answered. "Never touched it."

Andy took his phone out of his pocket and tossed it on his desk. "Dump it. You won't find a thing," he said.

"Then who do you suggest was calling me every five minutes?" Misty snapped.

"I don't know. Your pimp, maybe?" came his sardonic reply, saturated in his hardest Jersey accent.

"Why you sonofabitch!" Misty screamed and lunged for Andy.

Sharon stepped in and pushed her back. "Let me tell you something," she said, never raising her voice, "If you lay a finger on _my husband_, I will take pleasure in tearing you apart, starting with ripping your hair out by the roots. I guarantee you won't work for weeks after I'm through with you. So you just keep your distance."

Brenda was impressed. Her respect for Sharon skyrocketed.

Misty stepped back, startled, then looked at Andy. "This is who you married? _Her_?" Her tone dripped contempt.

"Yeah. I quit dumpster diving and started looking in jewelry stores instead."

Misty snarled at him, but made no move toward him.

Wow. No wonder they divorced, Brenda thought. They brought out the worst in each other. Clearly, it was time to intervene. "All right, Ms. Brown. Lieutenant Flynn has said he was nowhere near your place and did not call you, and I will be happy to order a cell phone dump to confirm that."

"It was him. I know it was," she insisted.

"I'm a grown man, Misty. I don't play telephone pranks. You been dating a tenth-grader or something?"

"I hate you, Andy Flynn!"

Andy snorted. "You started all this just so you could tell me you hate me? You coulda' done that in an e-mail! My address is on the LAPD website."

"What about my window? Is the city gonna pay for that? Since you broke it?"

"One more time," Andy said, "I'm an adult. I don't throw rocks anymore. And I can prove I was in a Beverly Hills hotel room with my wife when that happened."

"So you know what you were doing at midnight last night, huh?" Misty spat.

Andy grinned evilly. "I know _exactly_ what I was doing at midnight, and even better, who I was doing it with. I'm sober, Misty. No more blackouts."

The parental sex implication made Rosie and Matt wince, but they didn't say anything.

Andy continued, "And the detective I spoke with said the rock incident happened about 10 p.m. Which is it, Misty, or can't _you_ remember?"

"I don't know. I just know I was terrified."

Sharon nodded. She figured this was all a game to get the LAPD involved in getting some scuzzy boyfriend arrested. Which he probably deserved, but still… "Ms. Brown, if I were you, I'd think long and hard about your accusations. Falsely accusing a police officer is a serious offense. If you know, or suspect, someone else of doing this, you probably should be honest about it now. There is ample evidence that Lieutenant Flynn was not involved in this, so you really need to be truthful."

"I just want all this to go away," Misty said, panic starting to tinge her voice.

Brenda narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Too late for that, Ms. Brown. You just dragged me, one of my lieutenants and his family down here, so you're either going to come clean, or I'm arresting you for filing a false police report. Your choice."

"C'mon, Misty. You knew it wasn't me to start with. You just said that so the police would have to investigate. You didn't really think any of this was going to pan out, did you? I mean, jeez!" Andy said.

"You'd do it if you thought you could get away with it!" Misty exclaimed.

Andy laughed. "If I did it, I'd do it so I _would_ get away with it. But I have better things to do with my time, and have had for twelve years."

"I still hate you, and I'm glad you had to come down here! I'm _glad_ I ruined your little family evening!"

Andy shook his head and raised his hands in defeat. "You need help, Misty. I don't hate you, but I sure as hell feel sorry for you."

"I don't need your pity! You're still just a drunk!" she spat.

This time, Rosie found she'd had enough. She stood. "Shut up."

"What? Don't you tell me to shut up!" Misty retorted.

"I will tell you, and I'll say it again. Shut. Up. That man has been more of a dad to me the past year than my biological father ever was. He treats my mom like a queen and me and my brother like we were born to him. And I'll be damned if I'll stand here and listen to you spew that kind of crap about him. Mom won't have to beat the hell out of you. I'll do it myself. I wish I could feel sorry for you. But I can't. You're too contemptible. Look it up if you don't know what it means."

Andy's eyes went wide. Rosie rarely, if ever, cursed, and was as sweet a young woman as he had ever known. But she had obviously inherited her mother's steely backbone. He looked at Sharon. She was smirking with pride.

Brenda took a deep breath to contain the laughter bubbling up inside her. Andy was a big, tough cop, well able to deal with his ex, but here were two women flying to his defense like mother bears. She'd have a story for Fritz when she got home.

"All right, Ms. Brown. I think this has gone as far as it needs to go. Come to an interview room with me and give me your statement on who has really been harassing you. Matthew, I know you've worked with electronics. Can you go into the electronics room and help us out a little so I won't have to call Buzz?"

"Sure, Chief Johnson. I'll be glad to." Matt knew that recording the interview mostly consisted of turning on the computers. In fact, he had shadowed the electronics guy in Vice for a couple of weeks before he started his masters program, just to see if that was something he was interested in doing.

Brenda escorted Misty to an interview room, as the woman looked daggers at Andy. He turned to Rosie and Sharon. "You two are something else," he said.

"Well, I certainly wasn't going to allow her to put her filthy hands on you," Sharon serenely replied. "And obviously, I raised my daughter properly, too. She wasn't going to listen to a woman like that abuse you."

"Damn straight," Rosie affirmed, at which Andy chuckled.

"Watch your language," Sharon said, and then, "How in the world do you suppose Matthew knew who she was?"

Andy grinned widely in reply. "You know the answer to that. He's a male, hon. I know he's your son, but he's still a male."

"I thought I'd instilled better values than that in Matthew. He knows pornography is degrading and exploitive of women," Sharon primly answered.

"Like I said, babe. He's a male."

"I know. I know. Still… Well, let's go see this interview. And what in the world made you think you wanted to marry _that_?"

Andy chuckled again. "I was drunk when we met, stinking drunk when we got married, and sober when we divorced. Tell you anything?"

"I suppose it does."

"Rosie, cover your ears for a second. Sharon, if it makes you feel any better, the thought of having sex with her makes me sick to my stomach, O.K.?"

Sharon's smirk reappeared and she tucked her hand into the crook of Andy's elbow. "O.K. That does make me feel better. That was a pretty low comment about dumpster diving, though."

Andy rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I guess it was. But God, I'm around her for ten seconds and I start saying stuff like that. I really need to stop letting her push my buttons that way."

They reached the interview room and Matt had the computers on. Andy let the ladies have the chairs and he sat on his favorite perch – a low filing cabinet.

Brenda played with her glasses while Misty arranged herself in the chair. "All right, Ms. Brown. Let's get this ironed out, shall we? We both know that Lieutenant Flynn had nothing to do with calling you or throwing that rock. So who did?"

"Andy hates me," she replied.

Brenda tapped one toe impatiently. "You've been divorced for twelve years. He's remarried – very happily, I might add – so why in the world would he be interested in harassing you now? I pulled up the divorce decree. You were treated very fairly. Why target Lieutenant Flynn instead of telling me the truth about this?"

"It's his fault."

Brenda stared at the woman. In the electronics room, Andy said, "How the hell is it _my _fault?"

In the interview room, Brenda was asking the same question. "Please enlighten me on how your current harassment has anything to do with my lieutenant?"

"It's because he's a cop," came Misty's sullen reply.

"You're being targeted because your ex-husband is a police officer. Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yeah."

"Now how does that work? I'm very interested."

"Me too," Andy said as he watched the interview.

Misty shifted in her chair uncomfortably. "My ex-boyfriend hates cops. He got busted a couple of weeks ago and thought I ratted him out to Andy. He figured I had an in at the LAPD, since my ex is a cop."

"So instead of actually telling someone that, she blames me for it. Yeah, that's about at her intelligence level," Andy growled.

Sharon hid a smile behind her hand, but Rosie could see her eyes twinkling.

"All right Ms. Brown. I think I get the picture. Who is your ex?"

When Misty didn't answer, Brenda sighed. "Ms. Brown, I believe Captain Raydor and I made it very clear that, if you are not honest with me, and if you do not tell me who you believe has actually been harassing you, that I will charge you with filing a false police report. If there is someone who has been running loose, doing these things, he needs to be somewhere he can't bother anybody. You know I can find him. All I have to do is look at the drug busts in the last two weeks, and find out who's out on bail. It won't take long." It probably would take Lieutenant Tao a couple of hours to wade through all the arrests, but Brenda wasn't telling Misty that.

Andy knew the same thing and snickered. "Chief's got her feet to the fire, now. She'll have to spill it."

"His name is Jay. Jay Wilson. His street name is Copper."

"Copper?" Brenda was a little confused.

"Yeah. Because he's been arrested for stealing copper tubing at construction sites to sell."

That got another laugh from Andy. "Dude's such a lousy dope dealer he has to moonlight stealing copper tubing. What a winner."

This time, Sharon did laugh out loud. She had been thinking the same thing.

"But she's always had a gift for picking losers. I was sure as hell a loser when she found me," Andy added.

That statement made Rosie go to Andy and put her arms around him. "You're not a loser anymore," she said.

Andy grinned at her, hugged her and kissed her temple. "Thanks, kiddo. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Can I just slap that woman? Please? Just _once_?" she replied.

"Ask your mom," he answered.

Matt laughed. "Yeah, Mom. You need to sicc Rosie on her."

Sharon cleared her throat. "Tempting as it sounds, I think we'll leave the violence to her ex boyfriend. Besides, don't you have some explaining to do about how you recognized her?"

Matt made a non-committal noise and was suddenly very busy with the audio equipment. Andy didn't envy him.

Meanwhile, Misty was recounting her tale of woe to Brenda, who mostly just wanted to slap Misty for allowing such a jackass into her life.

"All right, Ms. Brown. I think I get the picture now," Brenda said. "I'll ask a detective in our domestic violence unit to follow up with you, and see if we can get Mr. Wilson back behind bars. I hope it's been made abundantly clear to you that any more reporting that Lieutenant Flynn is involved in any of this behavior is going to get you in big trouble, right?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Brenda shook her head. "Look. Normally, I'm the last person who needs to be giving advice on relationships, or life, or anything else. But I'm confident in saying that Lieutenant Flynn has moved on and you need to do the same thing. Stop dating trashy men and find someone decent."

"Nice work if you can get it," Misty replied and walked out of the interview room.

"You stay right here until she's gone," Sharon said to Andy.

"Don't worry," he answered. "I don't want to run into her again. I've already got a splitting headache. No need in making it worse."

In a moment, Brenda peeked into the room. "She's gone, Lieutenant."

Andy sighed. "Thanks, Chief. I appreciate you keeping this in the division."

"Since you hadn't actually done anything, it wasn't even an issue. I'm sorry, Andy, but I don't know for the life of me what you ever saw in that woman."

"Me either, Chief," he answered.

"Well, we certainly agree on that subject, Brenda," Sharon said.

"We sure do. You all go on home, now, and enjoy what's left of the weekend. Let's see if we can keep the crazy calls to a minimum."

"Absolutely. Thanks again, Chief."

"You're welcome," Brenda said, patting his shoulder.

"C'mon, guys. Let's get outta here," Andy said.

* * *

><p>With Rosie at her place, and Matt staying with a friend, Andy and Sharon had the house to themselves. Andy collapsed on the sofa. "I need a drink. I <em>really<em> need a drink," he said.

"Do you need a meeting?" Sharon asked, a little anxiously.

"No. I'm O.K. Really," he answered, seeing her expression. "But if you could see your way clear to bring me something for this headache and a Diet Coke, that would be great."

"Sure thing," she answered and returned with a cup of water with something fizzing in it. At Andy's quizzical look, she said, "Just Alka-Seltzer. It still knocks out a headache faster than anything else."

He took the cup and screwing up his face, drank the liquid. He coughed and said, "Bleah. That stuff is awful."

"But it works."

"I guess," he answered. "What's the old saying about if medicine doesn't taste bad, it doesn't work? Seems like my grandma used to say that all the time."

Sharon smiled. "I think I heard that, too. Probably designed to weed out the ones who weren't really sick."

Andy chuckled. "Yeah. They didn't want a second dose of it."

They relaxed on the sofa for a while when Sharon's cell rang. "Raydor," she said, not looking at the ID before she answered.

"Hi Sharon. It's Bob. I sure enjoyed having dinner with the kids tonight."

Sharon closed her eyes in irritation. "I'm sure they enjoyed it, too, Bob."

Andy sat up. _Bob_? What was he doing, calling Sharon? The headache that had nearly faded started pounding again.

"Would you be interested in having dinner with me?"

"I'm sure Rosie told you I'm married." Her voice was icy.

"She did. But there's nothing stopping you from having dinner with me, is there? It's just dinner."

Sharon made a face. "Bob, I'm just not in the habit of having dinners for two with men I'm not married to."

"Is he that jealous of you?"

"No, I'm just funny about keeping my marriage vows, that's all. If you have something you need to discuss with me, you're welcome to stop by my office downtown."

He cleared his throat. "I didn't have anything to _discuss_. Just wanted to catch up, see how you're doing, you know, that kind of thing."

She sighed. "I'm sorry Bob, but I'm not available, even if you are. And if I were available, for you, I still wouldn't be available. I don't hate you, and I wish you all the best in life, but I am not interested in anything else, period."

"Well I guess you made your feelings clear on the subject." He hung up.

Sharon stared at her phone. "He's the same old jerk he always was," she said. "Now _I_ have a headache."

Andy nodded sympathetically and reached down to pick up one of Sharon's feet. He rubbed it soothingly and patted his lap for her to put both feet up.

She sighed. "I know neither one of us was a marital prize twenty years ago, but don't you think we'd have been better off with each other, even then?"

He grinned. "Nope. But this isn't the first time I've wished I'd never seen Misty Brown."

"How did you two meet, anyway?" She was gratified to see Andy's ears turn red again.

"At a bachelor party for another cop. She did stripping work on the side and she was the floor show."

Sharon couldn't have kept from chuckling if she had been at gunpoint. "Well, you said you were drunk."

"Oh, was I ever. Getting out of it took a lot longer than getting in to it. And it nearly cost me my sobriety to do it. But me getting sober is what broke us up. She didn't have a drinking buddy anymore." Andy shrugged.

"Alcohol just never held much temptation for me."

"I wish it didn't for me. But I can't change that, so I go to meetings."

"You sure you don't need a meeting tonight?"

He shook his head. "I really am O.K. I'll call Gary tomorrow and talk to him. Since he's my sponsor, it's his job to listen to this crap." He smiled.

"Don't take advantage of his good nature," Sharon replied.

* * *

><p>Sharon was in the yard the next afternoon, planting some flowers and pulling weeds. It was her therapy. Andy had actually gone to visit his sponsor. She looked up as a car pulled to the curb. A familiar figure stepped out. She nearly went in the house for her gun right then. It was Bob.<p>

"Oh, dear God," she muttered, then stood.

Bob stepped into the yard and when he was 10 feet or so away from her, she said. "That's close enough. Why are you here?"

"Thought you might have changed your mind about dinner."

"No, I haven't. I don't want to have anything to do with you. I thought I made that very clear last night."

"Why are you being such a hard ass about this? It's just dinner."

Sharon shook her head. "Bob, with you, it's never 'just' anything. You don't do anything without an ulterior motive. Since your salary is about five times what I make, it can't be money. You don't need a place to live. Why are you here?"

"I miss you, Sharon. I miss being with you."

"Is that so?" She put every ounce of contempt and disdain into her tone that she could.

Bob flinched a little at her voice. "Yeah, it is. We were pretty good together, you have to admit."

She nodded. "I have to say that's true. We were very good – for about three months." She shrugged.

Bob gestured at the house. "Not bad, but I could give you so much more. Why stay with a cop who makes nowhere near what you do? You wouldn't even have to work with me."

"I love my job."

"And this lieutenant. Really, Sharon, can he make you feel like I made you feel?"

Sharon thought about Friday afternoon at the hotel and grinned wickedly at her ex-husband. "Bob, there is simply no comparison. You're not in the same universe with Andy. Sorry, but it's true."

His face turned ugly. "You never did realize when you had it good."

She shrugged. "So you say. But I know I've got it damn good now, and I'm not about to give it up. Especially not for someone who treated me like you did."

"You know how you are sometimes. You made me act like that. I didn't want to do it."

"I don't fall for the controlling mentality anymore, Bob. You've had your say. I told you no. It's time for you to leave, now."

Andy saw an unfamiliar car at the curb and a man talking to Sharon. She didn't look happy. It was Bob! He screeched into the driveway, got out of the car and made tracks toward the man.

Bob was moving toward Sharon when he felt a hand grab his shoulder and spin him around. He found himself facing the man who had to be Sharon's husband. This guy was tall, broad-shouldered and solidly built.

"What the hell are you doing here? I think my wife made it very clear last night she didn't want to have anything else to do with you."

"I was just talking to her! Relax, man! What are you, cop on the edge, or something?"

Andy narrowed his eyes at this jerk. "You don't want to find out, believe me, _man_. So leave. Now."

"There's no law saying I can't talk to Sharon. And what if I don't want to leave right now?" Bob's bravado was stupid, in Sharon's opinion.

Andy grabbed Bob by the collar. "I'm giving you two options. You can either leave now, in your own vehicle, or in an ambulance. Your choice."

It suddenly occurred to Bob that Sharon, being head of Internal Affairs, could make a force investigation disappear. This guy could turn him into a grease spot and he'd never spend a night in jail for it.

"I'm going," he said.

"Very wise decision," Sharon murmured.

Andy released the man and he turned to Sharon. "This guy's nuts, you know it? He's a dangerous man."

"You'd better believe he's dangerous," she said with a smirk.

"Get movin'," Andy said, motioning to Bob's car.

Bob walked to his car without a word and left.

Andy went to Sharon. "Are you all right? Did that piece of crap touch you?"

"No, Andy. I'm fine. But I'm glad you got here when you did."

"Me too." Then he gave her a leer. "How is it I'm forever pulling your fine ass out of the fire?"

Sharon put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot. "You!" she exclaimed. "How many times have I saved your _job_, you trigger-happy hothead?"

"God, I love you when you're pissed. You get even sexier," he chuckled and before Sharon could move, he scooped her up into his arms and took her inside the house.

"What makes you think I want to get close to you after that remark?" she fumed as Andy carried her to the bedroom.

"You know I was just pulling your chain, that's why." He brought her mouth to his for a deep kiss. He smiled inwardly as he felt her soften in his arms.

She sighed as she pulled back. "Andy, I'm sweaty and stinky and I really am not in the mood. Can we leave this for later?"

"Yeah, I guess so," he acquiesced, and sat her on her feet.

"Thank you, sweetheart. I'm going to shower off and then, I'm going to have a nap. I think you were right in saying I need to catch up on some rest."

"O.K. I know you need the extra Z's," he said, kissing her again as she walked into the bathroom.

Andy decided a nap might not be a bad idea, either. What better way to spend Sunday afternoon? But that Bob Raydor had better stay away from Sharon. If he didn't, Andy was going to make sure Sharon's ex spent the rest of his life eating through a tube.


	3. Chapter 3: Getting the Exes Out

**A/N:** I know, it's been a while. Real life and all that jazz. Thank you again for the kind reviews. Please continue them! Even though this chapter seems to end on a final-sounding note, it's not the last one, I promise! R&R, if you will. They really do help keep me motivated.

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong> **Getting the Exes Out...**

"Major Crimes, Lieutenant Flynn," Andy answered the phone.

"The flowers are beautiful! Thank you!" came Sharon's voice.

Andy looked at the calendar. Nope, no special day he should have remembered. So he needed to investigate this. "I'm glad you liked them, babe," he answered, playing along.

"Doesn't McBride's always do the most beautiful work? I'm so glad you went there to order them!" she enthused.

"Yeah, they're the best, no doubt," Andy replied, scribbling on his notepad and thinking.

"Well, just wanted to say thank you, sweetheart," Sharon continued.

"You're welcome, hon." He hung up. Hmm. So, he called the florist. "Yeah, is the manager available? Thanks. Hi. This is Lieutenant Andy Flynn, LAPD. Did you have an order this morning for Captain Sharon Raydor, LAPD? You did. I need to know who placed that order, please. Sure, I can hold." He tapped his pen on his desk. He'd bet his pension he knew who sent those flowers, though. "Yeah, I'm still here. All right. That makes sense. Thanks for the help. You too." He slammed down the phone. "Why that SOB!"

"What's up?" asked Provenza, who was almost napping over his crossword puzzle.

"Sharon's ex came by the house yesterday, and I invited him to leave. He sent her flowers this morning. Asshole. I guess Sharon's gonna have to get a no-contact order against that creep. And now I have to go tell her. Dammit."

Brenda came out of her office and saw her lieutenant looking like an impending natural disaster. "What's going on, Lieutenant Flynn?"

Provenza helpfully explained before Andy could open his mouth and Brenda sighed in exasperation.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! What _is_ it with people this week? Lieutenant, do encourage Captain Raydor to get that no-contact order. We need to make sure this doesn't go any further. Why can't people just leave other people _alone_?"

"We wouldn't have a job if they did, Chief," Provenza quipped. The rest of the squad laughed and Brenda rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for the astute observation, Lieutenant Provenza. Lieutenant Flynn, you look like you want to go take care of this. You go ahead and let me know what happens."

"Will do, Chief. Thanks," he answered and headed out of the murder room. When he got to Sharon's office, he really hated to go in and ruin her day, but he had it to do.

"Andy!" she said. "What brings you up here?"

He grimaced as he closed her door. "I hate like hell to tell you this, but I didn't send those flowers. Bob did."

Sharon straightened up at her desk and her eyes narrowed. "Are you kidding me?" Her tone was solid ice.

"I wish. No, I called the florist to check. I knew I didn't send them, and I figured I knew who did. I was right."

She smacked her hand on her desk. "Why is he suddenly incapable of leaving me alone?"

"Provenza told the Chief. She said I needed to encourage you to get a no-contact order on him."

Sharon chewed her lower lip for a moment. "I hate having to resort to those measures, but you're right. Want to walk to Judge Cranford's office with me? She presided over my divorce and she'll write the order, no problem."

"Sure," Andy answered.

As Sharon predicted, Judge Cranford was happy to file the order and handed it to Sharon. "Tell that ex of yours to tread carefully when you give him this order."

"I will, Your Honor, and thank you," Sharon answered.

When they got back to Sharon's office, Andy picked up the flowers and the order, which Sharon had copied, for safekeeping. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"Serve this order," he answered.

"Andy, I don't think that's a good idea."

"It's a great idea. I doubt I'll even see him, but the whole office will pass this order around, guaranteed. And his partners won't be happy about it, either."

Once again, Sharon marveled at Andy's devious mind. "It's brilliant. Evil, but brilliant."

He just grinned at her and left with the flowers. When he got to Bob's office building, he went directly to the firm's floor, not trusting anyone at the front for this delivery. The receptionist was a cute girl, not surprisingly, and Andy chuckled. He went to her desk and set the flowers down. She looked at them and then at him. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked.

Andy poured on the charm. "You sure can, Ms. Giles," he answered, looking at her nameplate. "Can you deliver these for me?"

"Certainly. And it's Chelsea."

He gave her a lethal smile. "O.K., Chelsea. Deliver these and this letter to Bob Raydor, if you would, please. It's very important he gets both, all right?"

"Of course," she answered.

"It's a shame the flowers can't stay with you. But that's how it goes."

Chelsea Giles had never really been interested in older men, until now. But this silver-haired fox was hot. "It's all right. What name shall I give Mr. Raydor?"

Andy handed her his card. "Lieutenant Andy Flynn, Major Crimes, LAPD. Be sure and tell him now."

She took the card. "Oh, I will, Lieutenant."

"It's Andy," he said and winking at her, left the office.

"Bye, Andy," she said after him, then after the door closed, she sat down. "Wow," she breathed.

"Who was _that_?" asked a woman coming back from lunch.

"Some lieutenant from the LAPD. Delivery for Mr. Raydor," Chelsea answered.

The woman nodded. "Hmm. I may have to start looking over there for prospects, if they all look as good as he does."

"I know, and I never thought I was into older guys."

"Nothing old about him."

Chelsea shook her head and then picked up the order. "What do you suppose this is?" she said.

Her co-worker grinned at her. "It's not sealed. Look at it."

"That's not really ethical, is it?" Chelsea said doubtfully.

"You know how pissed Mr. Raydor gets if you put something on his desk he really doesn't need to see. We're just pre-sorting it, that's all."

Chelsea grinned. "O.K." She looked at the document. "Oh, my God," she said.

"What?"

"It's a no-contact order on him filed by his ex-wife."

"Are you serious? Let me see that!" The woman snatched the paper from Chelsea and looked at it. "Mr. Lann and Mr. Gilbert are going to be beyond postal when they find out about this. And Mr. Raydor will have to tell them. I wonder what he did…" She read the document. "Harassment, unwanted phone calls, etcetera. Good grief! Surely he has more sense than that!" Chelsea just shrugged. Her co-worker chuckled. "Things are about to get interesting around here," she said.

* * *

><p>Late that afternoon, Andy's phone rang. When he answered it, all he heard was a string of obscenities. He checked the caller ID and grinned. "If it isn't Bob Raydor. What a surprise!" he said, snickering.<p>

"What do you mean, serving a no-contact order on me, you asshole?" Raydor screamed.

"Just doing my duty, Bob. My wife filed it and Judge Cranford signed it. I just delivered it, along with those beautiful flowers you sent to _my wife_. What am I gonna have to do: tattoo a copy of our marriage license on your ass to get the point across? No, then you'd never see it. I'll tattoo it in reverse on your forehead. That way, you can read it every time you look in the mirror." The squad got a laugh out of that comment.

"I'll have your badge, you prick," Bob growled.

"For what? Serving a no-contact order? You'll have to do better than that, Bobby boy."

"I am not gonna forget this. You embarrassed me in front of my colleagues."

"Bob," Andy's tone had darkened. "All you had to do was leave Sharon alone. That's it. She filed the order, not me. And Judge Linda Cranford agreed there was sufficient cause to issue the order. You know how this works. If you'd had dinner with the kids and left it with a phone call, you wouldn't be in this situation. But you couldn't leave well enough alone. You're an attorney, for God's sake! You should know better! Somebody was going to serve that order and somebody in your office was going to see it, and you were going to end up having to tell Lann and Gilbert about it. You caused this, Bob, not me and not Sharon. You."

"I just needed to talk to her, and you're so damn jealous…"

"Whoa," Andy interrupted. "You could have talked to her anytime. She didn't want to talk to you. She's a grown, independent woman and you ought to know you can't tell Sharon Raydor what she can and can't do. That doesn't work with her. If she wanted to talk to you or have dinner with you, hey – it's a free country. I couldn't have stopped her. But Bob, I mean, think about it. Your kids can't stand you. They know how you treated their mom after the divorce. You haven't been there when they needed you. Why in the hell would you think for a minute that Sharon would want you back after the way you treated her, and basically said you didn't give a shit for your kids, since she had to take you to court four times to get you to pay child support! And you could have afforded twice as much on your salary! And no, before you ask, she didn't tell me that. I looked up the court records. They're not sealed."

"Drop dead, Flynn," Bob snapped.

"Is that a threat, Bobby boy? Threatening a police officer gets you arrested. Think your partners would appreciate that?"

"Go to hell."

"Meet you there!" Andy cheerfully replied and hung up. "God, what a juvenile! He acts like he's 16." He shook his head.

Provenza looked heavenward. "Why can't people leave well enough alone? Anybody ought to know better than to harass Raydor!"

Andy looked sidelong at his partner. "What are you saying, old man?"

He snorted. "Just that Sharon Raydor Flynn is absolutely capable of handing a man's balls to him. After she's dissected them. No offense, Flynn, but your wife is one tough cookie."

Andy grinned widely. "Yeah, she is," he agreed.

"He's dumb, that ex of hers," Sanchez said. "Anybody who would mess with Raydor is just dumb."

The squad left for the day.

* * *

><p>"I had an entertaining conversation with your ex this afternoon," Andy told Sharon over dinner.<p>

"Did you now?"

He snickered. "Yeah. He was mad as hell about that no-contact order. Seems his partners found out about it and they must have really let him have it."

Sharon grinned. "You know, a mature adult wouldn't really be pleased about that, but I am."

"I don't blame you. He deserved it. All he had to do was back off, and none of this would have happened. He brought every bit of this crap down on his own head."

"You're right. _I_ certainly didn't go looking for him. I just wonder why he decided he wanted to pursue me like this again! You'd think I had money coming in or something."

That got Andy to thinking. "Maybe he was wondering if your parents had passed away and you had their inheritance."

She grimaced. "That would be just like him, the snake. Anticipating he might get some of it if we got back together." She made a face. "If he thinks he gets a single penny of _anything_ my parents have, he's a lunatic."

"Always worth a shot when you're a greedy bastard," Andy answered in a reasonable tone that made his wife laugh.

"Leave it to you to put things in perspective, Andrew," she answered.

* * *

><p>The next morning in the murder room began quietly enough until a uniform opened the murder room door. "Right this way, ma'am," he said and left quickly.<p>

A woman charged in, right for Andy's desk. "Where is she, Andy?" she yelled.

Andy nearly jumped out of his skin. "Carla! What are you doing here? Where's who? What are you talking about?"

"Gina! You know, your daughter? Where is she?"

His mouth dropped open. "I don't know. I haven't heard from Gina in months. Sit down and let's talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about! Where is she, Andy? You know and you're just not telling me!"

Hearing the raised voices, Brenda came out of her office and looked at this woman.

"Swear to God, Carla, I don't know where Gina is. How long has she been gone? What makes you think she's left? Sit down and tell me what's going on." Andy tried to calm his first ex-wife.

Brenda stepped in. "Carla, I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, head of this division. Why don't you do as Lieutenant Flynn asks and have a seat? Let's do find out what's up. Please. Sit down." Brenda's tone hardened a little as she stared at the woman.

Carla harrumphed, but she grabbed a chair and sat down. "My daughter – our daughter – is missing. She's been gone since Saturday."

"How old is she?" Brenda asked.

"Twenty," Andy answered. "What makes you think she's missing?"

"Well, a lot of her things are gone, she hasn't called, and she left this note." Carla handed Andy a piece of paper.

He scanned it. "So why do you think I'd know where she is?"

"She says in the note that she needs to find out who she is."

Brenda read the note also. "So why should that mean she's looking for Lieutenant Flynn?"

"We had a fight last week. She accused me of making her hate her dad and never giving her a chance to get to know him. I told her I was doing her a favor, and he wasn't worth knowing. She didn't like hearing that."

Brenda glanced at Andy. He was pale and his lips were pressed together. Tension was in every line of his body. "Carla," she said, "Gina is 20 years old. She's an adult, and if she wants to leave, that's up to her. She's not obligated to tell you where she is. And, if she wants to start building a relationship with her father, again, she's an adult. You can't keep her from it."

"I can't imagine why she'd want a relationship with _him_," Carla said. Andy hung his head. He looked like a whipped hound, Brenda thought.

"Be that as it may, until, and unless, you feel Gina is in some kind of danger, we have to assume she just left," Brenda said. "Do you think she was coerced, or forced to leave, or something of the kind?"

"No. As far as I know, she's just gone. But I know you people can find her."

Andy had been tapping a nervous finger on his desk as Carla talked and he thought. "Look. Unless we think a crime has been committed, we can't just go checking on adults. Even our own kids. But," he said, seeing the outrage on Carla's face, "if you'll give me Gina's cell number, I'll call her and see if she'll talk to me. At least, I'll try to make sure she's all right."

"You don't even care." Carla's tone was venomous.

Andy shook his head and his reply was quiet. "I do care. If I didn't, I'd have told you to leave. What's Gina's number? Write it down," he said, passing her a scratch pad and a pen.

Carla scribbled the number and shoved the pad at Andy.

"O.K. Thanks. I will call her and I'll let you know if she contacts me or anything I find out, all right?"

"Yeah."

"Let me walk you out," he said and standing, went to the murder room door and opened it. Carla walked through, glaring at him. He led her into the break room.

"I need to go," she snapped.

"In a second," he answered. "Carla, like I've tried to tell you for the past how many years, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I did and everything I didn't do. I've done my best to make amends over the years. I never missed a child support payment, even when it meant I was down to ramen noodles and canned tuna. I've tried to be a part of the kids' lives. I've tried to show you and them I care. I know I screwed up our marriage as badly as it's possible to screw anything up, but Carla, I've never asked you to forget I did what I did. Only for a chance to make it right."

"I'm worried about my daughter."

"She's our daughter, and I'm worried about her, too. I'll do what I can to locate her, I promise."

"What's a promise from you worth, Andy? Really?"

Andy flinched as though Carla had slapped him. "A lot more than it used to be, that's for sure," he answered. "I've done a hell of a lot of work the past fifteen years to be a better man than I used to be. Can you give me just one chance to show you?"

"I don't want you back, Andy."

"I'm not asking to come back. I've found someone, and it's working between us."

"Good luck to her is all I can say," Carla growled.

Andy didn't say so, but he knew it hadn't been all his fault their marriage had floundered. Carla had been married twice more, and it hadn't worked out either time. She was bitter about her whole life, not just him, and he felt sorry for her.

"I can't make you believe me. All I can do is tell you I'll reach out to her and if I hear from her, I will call you."

"You'd better, Andy Flynn, or I swear I'll make your life a living hell until the day you die." She turned on her heel and walked out.

Andy closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked in the fridge for a bottle of water and downed a couple of swallows. If he hadn't tried to make amends, he could understand Carla's rage. But he had – repeatedly. Still, he wanted to make sure Gina was safe. The last time he had spoken with her had been through e-mail. He'd try that, first.

He went back to his desk, aware of the squad's eyes on him. They were sympathetic, though. They knew how Andy had worked to maintain his sobriety. Andy pulled up his e-mail program and clicked on Gina's name. He typed, "Are you all right? Your mom and I are worried. Let me know on e-mail, or you can text me. Andy." He also included his cell number in case she did text him. He pushed back from the computer. "Well, that's as much as I can do, right now. Let's see if she'll answer me."

His phone dinged and he scrambled for it. But it was a text from Sharon. "Are you all right?" He looked into Brenda's office. She must have told Sharon. Well, it was still easier than Andy having to do it. He sent back, "Yeah. Worried about Gina. Waiting to hear from her."

"Let me know," came the reply. He smiled. Sharon never, ever used textese. She typed every word in full. Even her e-mails were immaculate. Nothing went out unless it was spelled correctly and typed using good grammar. Well, what did you expect from an ex-librarian?

Andy checked his e-mail compulsively every 10 minutes for the next couple of hours, wondering if Gina would ever see the message. Finally, a reply came. "I'm O.K. Can I call u?"

"Sure," he sent back. Not five minutes later, his cell rang. "I'm taking this in the break room," he said as he answered the phone. "Gina?" He walked back to the break room.

"Yeah. Mom must have told you I left."

"She did. She's pretty upset and she's worried. What's going on?"

"I got sick of her. She blames her entire life's failures on everybody but herself. She starts saying that crap and I want to slap her."

Andy understood the feeling well, but said, "You should have told her you were going. She's been really worried, sweetheart."

He heard a sniffle over the phone. "I can't believe you still call me sweetheart when I haven't called you Dad in years."

Andy felt like sniffling himself. "No matter what, you're still my daughter and I still love you."

"I know. I know you've tried, but Mom just wouldn't let you be a dad to us. I'm so sorry. I really am."

"It's not your fault. I don't blame you. Where are you?"

"At a friend's house."

"Are you in a safe place?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, Gretchen's cool, but I wanted to ask you something. Can I stay with you for just a couple of days?"

They had a guest bedroom, and he knew Sharon wouldn't mind. "Absolutely. But I need to tell you I'm married again. But you'll like Sharon. She has a daughter, too."

"That's O.K. Can you pick me up?"

"Unless we catch a case, yes. If we do, I'll ask Sharon. Will that be all right?"

"Sure. I'll text you the address. See you."

"Bye, sweetheart." As soon as he clicked off that call, he called Sharon.

"Did you hear from Gina?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. Mostly sick of dealing with Carla. She asked if she could stay with us for a couple of days and I told her yes. I hope you don't mind."

"No, Andy. I don't mind. I'll do anything I can to help you build a good relationship with your kids." _What a woman_, Andy thought. But then again, he knew he'd hit the jackpot when they got together.

"Thanks babe. I appreciate it. I'm picking her up when I get out of here, if nothing happens."

"Fine. I'll plan on an extra head for dinner, then." They usually did plan for either leftovers, or for Rosie to drop in when she got tired of her own cooking. Thinking of Rosie… "Andy, I think I'll call Rosie and ask her to come over, too. I'll tell her what's going on. I think maybe it would be good for Gina to have someone in her age group to talk to. And people open up to Rosie."

Andy chuckled. "Yeah, if she does go to the academy, she'll be the best interrogator the LAPD has ever seen besides the Chief, and if she goes into law, everybody will tell her everything. She just has that kind of face."

He could hear Sharon rolling her eyes. "I don't want her to go to the academy. Law is a better fit."

"If you say so, babe. But I think she's itching to wear a badge."

Sharon had the same fear, but said, "Well, that's something to deal with later. Now, we need to see about your daughter."

* * *

><p>The LAPD had new unmarked vehicles for the Major Crimes division and for the Vice and Domestic Violence units. Their cars were the oldest, so they were replaced first. Andy actually got to choose the color for his vehicle and decided he liked the chocolate brown. It looked good, and not immediately like a cop car. He also knew the reason the cash-strapped department was able to get the vehicles is because they were officially "testing" the new Taurus police interceptors for the Ford company. What it amounted to was a ton of free publicity for Ford, and free cars for the LAPD. It was a win-win situation.<p>

So it was that Andy was actually proud to drive up to Gretchen's apartment in his new ride. He'd had it for six weeks and still could hardly believe his good luck in getting this car. Sharon was envious, since she still had her old Crown Vic. But being Sharon, she'd kept it in good shape, so it wasn't quite as road worn as his. Then again, he was the third driver of his old Ford, and the odometer had read 300,000 miles, and he knew the engine had been rebuilt twice. So, he figured he deserved a new vehicle.

He watched Gina come outside. Her eyes widened as she saw the car. She spoke to her friend. Andy got out of the car and walked to his daughter. "I'll get that," he said, picking up her suitcase and taking it to the car.

Gretchen whispered to Gina, "That's your dad?" At her nod, Gretchen just mouthed, "Wow."

Gina had to admit she had a handsome father. Other women noticed him, she knew. And he looked healthy and fit, which was good. Even her mom couldn't deny he had been sober for a long time.

Andy stood by the car, looking at his daughter. She was beautiful. Maybe she had her mother's chin, but otherwise, she was the very image of his mother. She was medium height with long dark hair and dark eyes. She looked just like the wedding photo of his parents, made when they were Gina's age. She even had his mother's name: Gianetta. Andy's sister Eileen looked like their Irish father with her auburn hair and dark blue eyes, but Andy was pure Italian and so was Gina. "Thanks for letting Gina crash with you, Gretchen. I appreciate it," he said to her friend.

"Sure, um, Lieutenant," she answered.

"Just Andy's fine," he said with a smile. "Ready to go?" he asked Gina.

She nodded and got into the car.

Andy got behind the wheel and as he adjusted his seatbelt, Gina looked at the car. "Nice car. Really nice," she said.

He nodded. "Yeah. Ford's testing their new interceptors with the LAPD and had the unmarked cars ready first, so we got to pick what we wanted. I liked this color."

Gina looked at the dash array, the port where Andy had his department iPad plugged in, the interior. "This is really state of the art."

"Tell me about it," he replied as he eased away from the curb. "I'm surprised they trust us with these. We got to drive the first one on the academy driving track, so we could play a little. This baby'll stop on a dime and will turn like a sidewinder. They're awesome machines."

Gina smiled at the enthusiasm in her dad's voice. Guys never really grew up. They always loved fast cars. "Did you wreck it?" she asked impishly.

He laughed. "Nope. They had tires lining the sidewalls, so all we did was bounce off. But I never even got close. Sanchez, now, he nearly tore it up. He drives like a maniac anyway, and this was just gas on the fire. I think he may have missed his calling as a stock car driver. We were all a little afraid the Chief was gonna do something bad, but she was O.K. I think she's a little afraid of the car, which is probably a good thing, considering how she drives."

"Those women drivers, huh?"

"No, just the Brenda Johnson kind. Sharon – that's my wife – is a great driver. Brenda gets too distracted when she drives. I won't ride with her."

Gina laughed too, and the conversation seemed to die until she said, "Thanks for letting me crash at your place for a little while."

"It's O.K.," he answered. "Really, I'm just glad you felt like you could come to me. Makes me think there's some hope for us."

She looked at Andy's face, illumined by the dash lights. He looked so sad, and once again, Gina cursed her mother's bitterness. She really didn't remember Andy when he was drinking. He had been sober 15 years, and in that time, had repeatedly reached out to her mom, only to be shoved back time and again.

"I have to call your mom and tell her where you are. She was out of her mind worrying about you."

"She's out of her mind in general. But I know."

"What started all this, anyway?"

"We had a fight. I told her I wanted to get to know you, and she basically said she'd disown me if I tried. So I said screw her. I'm an adult, and whatever happened between you two, I mean, you don't deserve what she's done to you all these years. It's unfair to you and to us. Carolyn and I would like to get to know you, but she acts like we're some kind of traitors because of it. I'm sick of her crap. She needs therapy."

Andy smiled in the darkness. Apparently, his older daughter had inherited his habit of no BS, plain speaking. He hoped she could be a little more diplomatic than he was at 20. "Sharon's daughter, Rosie, is going to be here for dinner. She's 23 and a senior at UCLA. She's majoring in criminal justice."

"Another cop in the family, huh?" Gina said.

"Not if her mother has anything to say about it. She says being a lawyer is all right, but not a cop."

"I've thought about it."

"About being a cop? Well, it's a lot easier for women than it used to be, for sure. But it's just as dangerous as it ever was."

"Yeah. Or maybe a criminal and forensic psychiatrist."

"So you can see what makes the bad guys tick?"

"Something like that."

As they pulled into the drive, Gina had to admit she was curious about her dad's third wife. She knew Sharon was a police officer, but beyond that, nothing.

Sharon met them at the door and said, "Gina, I'm Sharon. It's so nice to have you with us."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Come in and meet my daughter. Dinner is nearly ready, Andy."

"O.K., babe," he answered, kissing Sharon briefly. "I'll take Gina's suitcase to the guest room."

Gina followed Sharon into the kitchen. Andy's wife was very attractive. Not pretty, exactly, but striking, certainly. She had abundant brown hair, with brickish tints, angular features and green eyes that seemed to see everything. The girl who greeted her with a smile could only be Sharon's daughter – they were mirror images.

"Hi! I'm Rosie! Sit down, Gina. It's so nice to meet – Andy's daughter." She almost said "Dad," but didn't want to hurt Gina's feelings.

"Nice to meet you, too," she answered.

Andy took Gina's suitcase to the guest room, and then went outside to call Carla. He didn't want Gina to hear if her mother got really upset.

She answered on the first ring, "Have you found her?"

"Yes," Andy answered. "She's fine. She was with a friend, but now she's at my place for a couple of days." He tried to keep his tone even and calm.

"At _your_ place? What's she doing there? You bring her back right now!" Carla exclaimed.

"If she wants to come back, I'll be glad to. But why don't we let things cool off for a little while? Then we can all sit down and talk about this." Andy was really hoping that being cool and reasonable would get the same response from Carla.

"That's kidnapping!" she yelled. _So much for cool and reasonable_, Andy thought.

He took a deep breath before answering, "It would be if she wasn't 20 years old and hadn't called me to come pick her up. Carla, even if she does live in your house, she's an adult. The custody agreement ended when she turned 18, remember? She can go where she wants."

"Don't talk to me like I'm stupid! I know that!"

Andy had the urge to bang his head against the brick wall. "I'll tell her I talked to you and that you'd like to hear from her. But I can't force her to call you. That's her decision."

"I'd better hear from her. She'd _better_ call me, do you hear me? I'll call your precious LAPD and tell them you coerced her into leaving, that you forced her to come with you!"

"Carla, that won't hold up ten minutes and you know it. So you might as well chill out and let her cool off. I'll tell her we spoke." He just hung up. There was no reasoning with her. Andy wondered if she was on some kind of medication. She was acting strangely, even for her.

He leaned against the wall. Both of his exes and Sharon's, all in a week. What were the odds? He walked back inside.

Looked like the girls were getting along just fine and Andy smiled inwardly. He actually didn't mind having all these females around. He knew some men who weren't comfortable with it, but it didn't bother him.

"I spoke to your mom, Gina. She wants you to call her."

Gina rolled her eyes. "I'll bet she does. But I don't want to talk to her right now."

"Up to you. You're an adult," Andy answered. "But I told her I'd tell you."

"And I heard you loud and clear. Can I do anything to help with dinner, Sharon?"

She said, "No, it all went into the oven, and I'm just waiting for the timer to go off. I forgot to run the dishwasher this morning, so it's paper plates, I'm afraid."

Andy grinned. "They hold the food as well as china does. And nobody has to clean up. It all goes into the garbage can."

* * *

><p>"So what do you think is going to come of this?" Sharon asked Andy that night, once they were in their bedroom and out of hearing range.<p>

He shook his head. "Search me. But I've had enough of dealing with my ex-wives. I figure Gina can crash here for a few days and then talk to her mom. They both need to cool off. And Carla's on something. I know it. Some kind of meds or drugs. Something. She's not acting right."

"Have you asked Gina if she knows anything about it?"

"No, but I might."

Sharon leaned against the headboard, thoughtful. "If I didn't know better, I'd say all our exes conspired with each other to give both of us the week from hell."

Andy gave a short laugh. "That crossed my mind, too." He turned off the ceiling light and sat on the bed with a sigh. He reached to douse the nightstand lamp as well and lay down. "You can read if you want to, but I'm beat. This kind of crap takes more out of me than working a triple homicide. He lay down and plumped his pillow before closing his eyes wearily.

"No reading tonight," Sharon said. "I'm a little tired, myself." When the room was dark, she snuggled to Andy. He was already asleep and snoring softly. She put her cheek against his broad back and savored the warmth of his skin, the rhythm of his breathing, the faint scent of his faded cologne. She traced a light hand across his shoulder and arm, feeling the muscle under the olive skin. This was peace.


	4. Chapter 4: Abuse and the Ex

**A/N:** Real life intervenes again, but an update, finally! Please continue to let me know you're liking the story. Post a review! And many thanks, as always, to those who have reviewed and set this story as a favorite or on alert!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4: Abuse and the Ex<strong>

"Have I missed anything?" Andy asked Tao when he got to the murder scene. The sun was just coming up over the Hollywood Hills.

"Nada," he answered. "Chief's not even here, yet. So far, it's just what it looks like: a woman's body, about 35, white. Beaten to death."

Andy grimaced. "Crazy husband or boyfriend explodes, pounds her head into the pavement and when he comes to himself, figures out he's in deep shit so he dumps the body out here."

"That's as good a guess as any," Tao answered.

"So how's life in 'As the Flynn World Turns'?" That from Provenza.

"Shut up, old man. It's too early in the morning for your crap," was Andy's graceful reply, followed by him taking a long drink from his Starbuck's cup.

Provenza snorted. "No sense of humor."

"Who has a sense of humor at 5 a.m.?" Andy snapped.

"Not you, Flynn, apparently," Provenza said, sounding injured, but Andy just rolled his eyes.

"All right, gentlemen, what's going on?" Brenda said as she shuffled up the path to the crime scene.

Andy turned to look at his chief and snickered inwardly. She had on that long brown sweater thing, yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Her hair was dragged back into a ponytail and she wore running shoes that had seen better days.

"Good morning, Chief," Tao said, and went through the case details with her.

"No ID, I take it?"

"Sorry. Nothing. SID got her prints. Maybe we'll get a hit on them."

"Let's hope so. The last thing the morgue needs, Dr. Morales tells me, is another Jane Doe."

"So we'll call this one Mary Doe, then," Provenza cracked.

That earned him a glare from Brenda. "So amusing, Lieutenant Provenza. Why don't you start looking at missing persons reports. This could be a domestic case gone bad, so Lieutenants Tao and Flynn, check on rollouts for DV for the past couple of days, would you? Detective Sanchez and Detective Gabriel, give it until about six or so and start asking around if any neighbors have seen or heard anything unusual. Who found the body, anyway?"

Sanchez pointed to a man, huddled miserably in a windbreaker, holding his dog. "Guy walking his dog early."

"Well, obviously, interview him, too. See if he knows our victim. We'll reconvene downtown. Thank you all," she said and pulling her sweater close, went to her car.

"I need another cup of coffee," Andy said. "I'm going by Starbuck's again. Anybody want anything?"

"Everybody give Flynn a fiver and he can get a gallon to go," Tao said. "That way, we won't have to wait on the pot in the break room."

"Sounds good to me," Sanchez said, digging for his wallet. He handed a five to Andy. Tao contributed and so did Gabriel. They all looked at Provenza.

"Me? I'll get my own damn coffee," he grumped.

Sanchez shoved his arm and jerked his head toward Andy.

With an expression of disgust, Provenza reached into his pocket and extracted a five. He gave it to Sanchez, who passed it to Andy. "Thanks for making the run, Lieutenant," he said.

"You're welcome, Julio," Andy chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Flynn, I've got two DV rollouts to the same address in two days. Check your call sheet for 2875 Corum Street, would you?" Tao asked.<p>

"Sure, Tao," he answered and scanned the list. "Yeah. Got one from about 3 p.m. yesterday afternoon. Says the wife asked for the husband to be removed, but wouldn't press charges. Same old story." He looked over at Tao. "Guy's pissed, comes back a few hours later and does the deed. What you want to bet?"

Tao nodded. "Probably. I didn't talk to the SID team. I'll call Dr. Morales and see if we have an approximate time of death."

"Thanks, but don't worry about it. I'll go down to the morgue myself. I need to get the photos to compare to our caller's driver's license." Andy left the murder room and met Brenda coming off the elevator, now dressed for work. "Hey, Chief. I'm just going down to the morgue. Join me?"

Brenda grinned wryly. "You take all your dates to the morgue, Lieutenant?"

"Nah. Just the ones who outrank me," he teased.

"You and Captain Raydor must have had some interesting evenings, then."

Andy grinned. "Ouch. You coming?"

She nodded and stepped back into the elevator.

"All right, campers. This has all the earmarks of a domestic violence case," Dr. Morales said. "Considering she was outside for less than probably 10 hours or so, since the coyotes hadn't found her, I'm estimating time of death between 8 and 10 p.m. last night. She has numerous bruises and lacerations that are several days old, a couple of missing teeth, a broken jawbone, healed, broken nose, same. Her right eye shows contusions that are probably 72 hours old. Ongoing abuse for perhaps three or four years, judging by the healing of her jawbone. Too many old injuries to list. She's probably a frequent flyer at the local ER. I don't see any evidence of sexual assault, though."

Andy sighed deeply. "Why won't these women _leave_ these assholes before it comes to this?"

Brenda grimaced. "Because I luuuuuuuuve him!" she drawled. "Like love includes using somebody as a punching bag. Stockholm syndrome, maybe. Devil if I know."

Dr. Morales snickered. "That's because you wouldn't tolerate a man doing that to you, Chief."

"Damn right I wouldn't. The one time my first husband tried it, I ran him out of the house with my Maw-Maw's iron skillet!"

The doctor and Andy laughed heartily at that and Andy said, "You go, Chief. Agent Howard needs to watch his back."

"Agent Howard would never lay a hand on a woman," she primly replied.

"So you got some photos we can compare to a DMV pic I'm thinking about?" Andy asked.

The doctor nodded and handed Andy the pictures. "Let's nail this SOB," he said.

"We'll do our very best, Doctor," Brenda replied. "And thank you."

In the murder room, Andy printed off the possible victim's ID photo. He compared them to the morgue pictures. "What do you guys think? Her name is Anita Tipton. Her hair was longer and darker on her license, but this looks like the same woman."

Brenda peered over his shoulder. "I think you're absolutely right, Lieutenant. Good for you and Lieutenant Tao for catching the repeat addresses."

Brenda took all three photos and tacked them up on the murder board. "All right, gentlemen. It looks like we have an ID on our victim." Sanchez handed her another photo. "Thank you Detective. And we also have a real good suspect." She put the husband's picture on the board, as well, and wrote names above the photos. "So Detective Sanchez, why don't you and Detective Gabriel step out and see if you can locate Mr…." she peered at the DMV photo, "Mr. Carl Tipton. Check his residence and his place of employment, if he has one."

"On it, Chief," Gabriel said, grabbing his coat and walking out of the murder room with Sanchez.

"Let's see where this gets us. Lieutenant Tao, run Mr. Tipton's financials, would you? See if he's been doing anything interesting, lately. And Lieutenant Flynn, check the emergency rooms around the Tipton address. Maybe someone there remembers her. Lieutenant Provenza, please go down to SID and see if they have anything useful to tell us. Thank you all!"

Nods followed as Andy pulled up the list of hospitals on his computer, and picked up his phone.

An hour or so later, Andy had four ER reports on Anita Tipton and Provenza had the relevant crime scene photos on the board. "Guy walking his dog didn't see anything but the body, so he really didn't have much for us. SID is checking the DNA samples," Provenza said.

"Well, since the perp didn't rape her, we don't have that to go on," Andy answered.

"Could have used a raincoat," Tao said.

"Doc said no evidence of sexual assault. I guess that includes bruising and so forth. But then again, these DV murders don't always include rape," was Andy's reply.

Tao nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, the vic's ER reports pretty much confirm what we knew already. Her husband routinely beat the crap out of her," Andy said. "And the DV people downstairs recognized the name right off. Verrico said he had been to that house fifteen times if he's been once. She never would press charges."

The door to the murder room opened then, and Sharon escorted Rosie and Gina inside. Andy stood. "Good morning, ladies. What brings you all here?"

"I thought Gina might be interesting in seeing the department," Sharon replied.

"O.K. Well, this is it, Gina. Not much but a bunch of desks and computers, but we call it the murder room."

Gina grinned. "That's cool. You're working on one right now?" She gestured at the murder board.

"Yeah. Body found this morning. Could be domestic violence."

"Do you think you can make some time for lunch?" Sharon asked.

"I think so. And Gina, this is Lieutenant Provenza, my partner and Lieutenant Tao. Our other two detectives are out looking for a suspect. And this," he said, gesturing to Brenda, who had come out of her office, "is our division chief, Brenda Johnson. Chief, this is my daughter, Gina."

Brenda extended her hand and smiled. "So nice to meet you, Gina! Hi there Rosie, Captain."

"Good morning, Chief," Sharon answered. "Gina hadn't seen our new home here, so…"

"We're glad to have her," Brenda replied. "Make yourself at home, if you don't mind the crime scene photos."

"I don't mind. I've seen worse on TV," Gina said.

"Yeah, you probably have," Brenda agreed.

"Mom, I'll walk back to your office with you and Gina can stay here with Andy for a while. You can remind him when it's lunch time," Rosie laughed.

"O.K.," Gina said with a smile.

Andy found a spare office chair and rolled it over to his desk. "You can sit here, all right?"

"Fine. So what's going on?" she asked as she sat.

Andy dropped into his chair. "Like I said, this probably started as a domestic violence case. That's the assumption we're going on right now. A guy walking his dog came across a woman's body. She was beaten to death, and the autopsy showed old broken bones and bruises, which usually indicate a history of domestic violence. This is assuming she is who we think she is."

"You're not sure?"

He shrugged. "Well, there was no ID on the body. So Lieutenant Tao and I started looking at DV – that's domestic violence – cases for the past several days. The same address popped up four times last week, so I pulled up the complainant's license and the photos are a probable match. We're still waiting to see if her fingerprints turn up in the database."

"They did," Tao said. "Just now. She had a background check done in 2005 for a daycare job, and they took a set of prints then. Anita Tipton. It's a positive."

"You're the man, Tao!" Andy answered. "Well, that's one thing cleared up. We know who she is for certain, now."

"Did the husband do it?" Gina asked.

"Detectives Sanchez and Gabriel are going to pick him up, now. We always look at the significant other first, for most homicides, but especially one like this."

Gina nodded. "So you think the husband got mad, did this to her and dumped the body?"

"She's now qualified for your job, Flynn," Provenza cracked, which got him a glare.

"Better get up then, old man, cause if she's qualified to take my place now, she was qualified for your spot the minute she walked in."

Tao hid a chuckle at this. Life was normal in the murder room if Flynn and Provenza were trading insults. He went to Brenda's office to tell her about the prints.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. My goodness, but Gina looks like Andy, doesn't she? Their eyes are exactly the same."

"Yeah, no denying that resemblance," Tao said.

"Not at all." Brenda leaned back in her chair. "I hope this means he's able to build a good relationship with his kids. I don't care how old they get, little girls always need a Daddy. You remember that, Lieutenant, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Chief," he said, grinning. Everyone in the murder room knew that Brenda's parents occasionally drove her crazy, but she loved them fiercely.

When Tao left her office, she put her elbows on her desk and rested her chin in her hands. She looked at Gina. She hadn't lied about the resemblance. The girl was as beautiful as her father was handsome. Brenda would bet the young men flocked around Gina Flynn. She wondered if Gina ever told them her dad was a cop.

She knew from Captain Raydor that the squad's new policy of keeping all sensitive information from Gabriel seemed to be working. Goldman was completely in the dark about the goings-on in the murder room. There was simply nothing to report. Tao, Sanchez and Gabriel still went to lunch as they always had, and she still assigned him work on cases. On the outside, nothing had changed. But everything had changed. No one said anything in front of Gabriel they didn't want outside the murder room. If he had noticed, he hadn't given any sign, but now that Brenda's antennae were fairly roused where he was concerned, she could tell he was a little puzzled. A thought occurred to her and she picked up the phone. "Lieutenant Flynn, can you come to my office for a moment, please?"

"Sure, Chief," he answered and went to her door. "What's up?"

"Come in for just a second."

Andy closed the door behind him. "Something wrong?"

"No, no. Not with you. It just hit me though, that your past with Carla might be fodder for that little worm Goldman, if he wants to make it an issue. You know how he is. And I'm sure he'll find out about Gina. So do you mind telling me about your divorce? I mean, is there anything I need to know, in case Goldman decides it's relevant, for some reason?"

Andy shook his head. "She filed, cited irreconcilable differences. I didn't contest it. I made every child support payment. Never missed a single one. I wanted to do right by my girls. Carla flouted the visitation agreement all the time, but I never took her to court over it. I didn't want the girls to be involved in that kind of ugliness."

"I see," Brenda said, feeling incredibly sorry for Andy, and increasingly irritated with his ex-wife. Her lieutenant wasn't perfect, God knew, but he loved his children, and that went a long way with Brenda.

"Yeah. It wasn't easy, but I can't think of anything that even a snake like Goldman could twist around."

Brenda sighed. "Good, but we all know how proficient he is at making things up out of whole cloth. Well, we'll just have to hope for the best on that front. Thank you for not dodging the question."

"I try not to do that anymore. Makes recovery a lot easier," Andy said with a grin.

"I'm sure it does. By the way, how's your sister – the one who had thyroid cancer?"

"Eileen? Oh, she's great. She goes in every six months to have her levels tested, but once they got her meds adjusted, you'd never know anything was going on."

"That's a comfort. Mama's been having a hard time with Daddy, lately. He's cranky by nature, and this has made it twice as bad."

Andy laughed softly. "That'll pass once they get his medication right."

"And that's part of it. He says, 'if the doctor says I have to take another pill, I'm gonna tell him where to put it!'"

"Been there, Chief. Tell your mom to hang on. Better days are coming."

"Thank you, Andy."

"You're welcome," he answered and went back into the murder room. He seated himself and started running a check on Carl Tipton.

"Why are you a cop?" Gina asked him.

Andy looked over at her and paused in his typing. He grinned. "Watched too many cop shows on TV, I guess. I decided I wanted to do that, too."

"Seriously?"

He leaned back in his chair. "At first, while I was still in the academy, yeah. Seriously. Once I got on a beat, though, and actually started working the streets, I found out I was doing a job that not a lot of people would do, or could do, but it had to be done. Your grandma wasn't wild about my career choice, but in my neighborhood, you went to work at a blue-collar job, you were a cop or a thug. She was glad I didn't choose thug."

Gina grinned. "I really can't imagine you doing anything else."

"Me either. I think Ma was holding out for plumber or electrician, though. The money and the hours are better."

"I know that's right," Provenza put in. "I had to have a hot water line replaced. Charged the landlord $400 for a 30-minute job. It's a legal racket."

"What was your mom like?" Gina said.

Andy smiled fondly. "She was great. Tough. But we never doubted she loved us and was in our corner. Your Aunt Eileen is just like her. She looks like the Flynns, but in temperament and personality, she's Ma. And you look like my mom. You could be her sister."

A strange look crossed her face. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really. And you have some of her mannerisms, and since you never met her, that's kind of strange. I guess it's genetic or something."

"Wow. That's kind of cool."

Even Provenza had the good sense not to interrupt this bit of bonding. He'd always secretly known his partner was a big marshmallow when it came to his kids.

"It is. I'd like you to meet all your family. Maybe, now since you and Carolyn are grown, we can plan a trip back to the old neighborhood."

"Maybe so. Hey, can I text her and ask her to meet us for lunch? She drives."

"Sure, if she doesn't have a class. I'd love to do that, if it won't cause more trouble with your mom."

"Nah. She'll never know." Gina pulled out her phone and sent a rapid text. A moment later, a reply came. "She wants to. Where and what time?"

Andy looked at the clock. "Let's say 11:30, and she can just come up here and we'll decide."

Gina nodded and sent the information.

Andy sent a quick e-mail to Sharon about the time and she confirmed it. "Sharon and Rosie will meet us here, too."

Brenda came out of her office. "Anything from Sanchez and Gabriel?" she asked.

Tao checked his phone. "Gabriel sent me a text saying they were checking his workplace, but he's a contractor and he's out on a job in Camarillo."

"Camarillo? Oh, for heaven's sake! That's fifty miles! They won't be back before one at the soonest!"

"Probably not," Tao agreed.

"Well, nothing for it. We'll just have to wait, I guess," she sighed, then to Gina, "Part of the job. We wait a lot."

"Yeah," she replied.

* * *

><p>Sharon and Rosie had already arrived in the murder room to go to lunch with Andy and Gina, when an officer opened the murder room door.<p>

Gina looked over to see her sister Carolyn coming in. Andy looked too, and as always, the sight of his daughter walking with a cane tore his heart, but he was just glad she could walk. She had been born with mild cerebral palsy that Carla had tried to blame on him, but the doctor said it was just "one of those things." Still, she did whatever she wanted to do and Andy was proud of his daughter's moxie. It had probably been five years since he'd seen her and she was a little taller, but her face was just as determined as ever. She was blonde like Carla and had gray eyes.

Rosie saw Andy smile at Carolyn, and for a second, she was a little jealous. She had sort of come to think of Andy as rather belonging to her, and had to remind herself that he loved all his daughters.

Andy went to greet Carolyn and they stood looking at each other for a moment. "Hi, sweetie," he said.

Carolyn looked him up and down, as if assessing him. She took a step toward him.

"It's really great to see you," Andy said, hesitantly.

Provenza, Tao and Brenda were looking on from the other side of the room, anxious to see Carolyn's reaction. Sharon and Rosie were on pins and needles, too.

Andy just watched his daughter. He wasn't going to force anything.

Then, she practically launched herself into his arms. "Dad!" she exclaimed. "I've missed you!"

Andy folded his daughter to his chest and Brenda immediately reached for a tissue on Tao's desk. Sharon got tissues from Andy's desk and handed one to Rosie and they both dabbed their eyes. Tao, whom everyone knew was a softie, was rubbing his nose and even Provenza's eyes looked suspiciously moist. Gina was smiling, too.

Andy held Carolyn's shoulders. "How are you? Getting along all right?"

She grinned at him. "Oh, sure. It's so nice to be able to drive myself. And since I've got the car, I drive Gina, too."

"Yeah, and since it has hand controls, I can't drive it," Gina said. "But, you qualified for it, and you deserve it."

"Qualified for it?" Andy asked.

Carolyn made her way to a chair and sat down. "Oh yeah. It's part of a program run by this company called AllAccess. I applied for a scholarship they offer. It's for physically challenged students, so I said well, every little bit helps. What I didn't know is they look at all the applications they receive and award this package to one male student and one female student. It's a big, fat scholarship, a stipend for books, and, if they're able to drive, a modified car. The company specializes in modifying cars and vans, so this is what they do, anyway. And they picked me!"

"That's wonderful, Carolyn!" Andy exclaimed. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad. Gina, have you talked to Mom?"

Her sister shook her head.

"Oh man, is she pissed! Dad called her last night to let her know you were O.K., and she had a come apart after she got off the phone with him. She called me, telling me what a traitor you are and how she had raised us to understand what a snake he is and how we shouldn't have anything to do with him."

At this, Sharon and Rosie looked at each other, then Brenda caught Sharon's eye and shook her head slowly.

Carolyn continued cheerfully, "But I always knew the crappy dads were the ones who didn't pay child support and never called. I knew this was Mom not letting him talk to us, not him never calling. So, when Gina declared her independence, I said, why waste any more time? Dad's sober and has reached out to us more than once. I live in the dorm, so it's not like I have to listen to her when I get home. Mom's a head case, anyway."

The looks the "grown-ups" exchanged were priceless. Andy had a satisfying feeling of vindication and felt someone finally understood his side of the issue. So, he introduced Carolyn around and said, "You don't have to drive anywhere. I'm taking you and Gina. Sharon, do you and Rosie mind following?"

"Of course not," Sharon answered. "I'm sure you have some things you'd like to tell them. We'll meet you at that diner you and Lieutenant Provenza like, O.K.?"

"Sure. Thanks, Sharon."

"You're more than welcome."

When they got in their car, Rosie looked at her mom. "Am I horrible for being just a little jealous?"

Sharon smiled. "No. It's natural. But don't you think Andy has enough love to go around for all of us?"

"I know he does. But I admit I liked having a dad to myself. Bob is such a prick."

"He is, but I got you and Matt out of it, so it wasn't a complete wash."

* * *

><p>For the first time since they were tiny, Andy had both his daughters in the car with him at the same time. It was a wonderful feeling, but also scary. He wondered if he could cope with suddenly being in their lives. Gina and Carolyn just chattered the first couple of minutes, catching up on the news, when Carolyn said, "Dad, you're awfully quiet."<p>

He grinned. "Not much to say. I'm just enjoying listening to you two. It's nice to have you both around."

Carolyn leaned back in the seat. "You know, Mom has tried for years to make sure we never had a relationship with you and I never really understood why. She said you never cheated on her, that it was always the booze. But you've been sober for how long? What's her problem?"

"I wish I knew. I mean, I did date some questionable people after we split, and even married one, but that didn't last long. I sobered up and realized that was a nowhere relationship."

"When did you and Sharon get married?" Carolyn asked.

"July of last year," he answered.

"What does she do?"

"She's the head of Internal Affairs and FID, which is the Force Investigation Division. In other words, she's the cop for the cops."

Carolyn snickered, "Has she ever investigated you?"

Andy nodded. "Yeah. Before we started dating. A few times. And she's good at what she does, and tough as nails."

"Something tells me there's a story there," Gina said.

"You could say that," Andy replied.

* * *

><p>Gabriel and Sanchez had managed to locate Carl Tipton and had him in an interview room when Andy and his family returned from lunch. "Come on into the electronics room and watch Chief Johnson do what she does best," he said to his daughters.<p>

The girls crowded into the room, Andy introduced them to Buzz and they watched the monitors.

"Mr. Tipton, can you account for your whereabouts between seven p.m. and midnight last night?" Brenda began.

"I was at Deckle's bar on 35th Street until about ten, and then I went to my brother's house to spend the night," he answered sullenly.

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"Hell if I know. My brother knows where I was last night."

"No one at the bar would remember you?" she said, sweetly.

"I mind my own business."

Brenda gave the man a fake smile. "I'm sure you do. Tell me, have you spoken to your wife, recently?"

"To Anita? No. I never want to speak to that bitch again."

"Well, looks like you won't have to, since we found her body in the hills early this morning." Brenda slid the photos of Anita Tipton across the table.

Carl looked at them. "What happened to her?" he said, his voice flat.

"Funny you should ask!" Brenda chirped. "I was hoping you could tell me!"

"Why should I know?"

Brenda shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you did this to her? You've certainly beat the crap out of her before this. Why should last night be any different? Except last night, the beating didn't stop until she died."

"I want a lawyer," he snapped.

Brenda slammed her folder on the table. "All right then. I'll call the public defender's office, since I imagine you cannot afford an attorney. Better hope you get one who's tried a capital murder case. Because Mr. Tipton, any murder that happens during the commission of another felony – in this case, aggravated assault and domestic violence in the first degree – is capital murder, and I'll be sure to recommend the D.A. attach special circumstances because of the violent nature of the attack. And you know that means the death penalty is then activated. So, you just sit tight and wait on that attorney to get here and hope you win the lottery!" She stood and went to the door.

"Wait! What would you do if I told you what happened?"

"I can't listen to another word, Mr. Tipton. You have asked for an attorney!"

He shifted nervously in his seat. "Then I don't want one."

"Just to be clear: You're waiving your right to counsel?"

"Yeah. So what happens now?"

Brenda seated herself and smiled at the man. "Well, you tell me everything that happened, and write it down, and I'll tell the D.A. you confessed. Then you'll have an attorney, who will probably advise you to plead guilty, since I have your confession, and at that point, the death penalty usually goes away, and you spend 25 to life in prison. Or, you can roll the dice with a jury and hope the photos of Mrs. Tipton's broken body don't make them come after you with their torches and pitchforks. Your decision."

"Not much of a choice."

"Mr. Tipton, you are a habitual abuser and you killed your wife by beating her to death last night. What on earth makes you think you deserve to walk around free?"

"Anita was a turbo bitch."

"Oh, I see. Classic abuser mentality. She drove you to it. Well, spare me the recitation, Mr. Tipton. I assure you, I've heard it before. Just tell me the truth about what happened last night so I can get you to Booking. She called the police about 4 p.m., and you were removed from the residence. What then?"

"I went to Deckle's and had a few drinks."

"Then what?"

"I got to thinking about Anita and how she had no right to throw me out of that house. I pay the bills, dammit! She's only there because I decided to put up with a wife who's too damn lazy to get her ass off the couch and go to work."

Brenda was wishing she had an iron skillet right then, but continued, "All right. What happened then?"

"Well, I went back to the house and she met me at the door and wouldn't let me in. That really pissed me off, her not letting me in my own house. So I shoved her and walked inside. And then you know what that stupid bitch did?"

Brenda narrowed her eyes at him. "Nooooo," she drawled. "What did that stupid bitch do?" Her tone dripped scorn.

"She came at me! She hit me! By God, no piece of crap like that is gonna lay her filthy hands on me! She thought she had the right to hit me! So I decided to teach her a lesson once and for all."

"Because you obviously had the right to hit her."

"Damn straight! She's my wife! I'll do anything I damn well please to her, and she'd better take it! Thinks she's better than me? She's a woman! No woman is better than a man!"

"I see. What happened when you realized she was dead?"

He shrugged. "Figured I'd better get rid of the body, so I took it out to the hills and dumped it."

"You didn't think your own wife deserved a decent burial?"

He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, lady. I just treated her like the garbage she was. I mean, I hold down a job. She was a leech. What good was she doing? Just making my life hell, that's all."

"That's all." Brenda rubbed the bridge of her nose briefly. "Thank you, Mr. Tipton. The officers will be in to take you to Booking." She walked out and slammed the door as hard as she physically could. She went into the electronics room, where Carolyn and Gina were sitting wide-eyed at what they had just seen.

"I'd call him a pig, but pigs are _nice_ animals!" Brenda yelled. "Even snakes are better! I can't think of anything bad enough. I know we can't apply special circumstances now, but I want the judge to see that confession and I hope he puts that piece of human waste in the slammer for the rest of his miserable, pathetic LIFE!" She slammed her hand on the table.

"Chief! My equipment!" Buzz complained.

"Sorry, Buzz," she said and stalked out of the room.

"Wow," Gina said. "Is she always like that?"

"Pretty much," Andy answered with a grin. "But nobody gets confessions like Brenda Leigh Johnson. She's one of a kind."

"Thank goodness," Provenza said wryly, and the squad chuckled.

Carolyn and Gina followed Andy back to his desk. "I like these kinds of cases that get wrapped up in one day," he said. "Doesn't happen that often." He looked over at Gina. "Still want to be a cop?" he asked her.

"Maybe. Forensic psychiatry is still on the table too, though."

"I'd do that. Less physical danger and better pay," Andy answered.

"C'mon. Are you saying women can't do the job?" Gina teased.

"No way! I'm saying I'd rather have my daughter in a carpeted office than walking a beat where mean people could shoot at her. If you're a forensic shrink, at least the pervs are always handcuffed, or behind bars when you deal with them."

"You've got a point there, Dad," Carolyn said.

"So what are you thinking about as your major?" Andy asked her.

"Maybe social work."

Andy laughed ruefully. "Another thankless job. I guess my kids were born to work where people need the service and show zero appreciation."

"Are you that much of a cynic?" Gina asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah. That's what 25 years on the force will get you."

"So what happened about you getting stabbed? Rosie mentioned it," Gina asked.

Andy grimaced. "Well, I guess you need to hear it from the source," he answered, and he told them about the incident, concluding with, "It wasn't all bad, since it kind of nudged Sharon into deciding she liked me better alive than dead." He grinned.

The girls giggled and Gina said, "I shouldn't tell you this, really, but my friend Gretchen – you know, the one I stayed with - called me last night and asked me how my dad was. I said fine and asked her why. She said you're hot."

Carolyn laughed out loud at this. Andy just closed his eyes and his ears turned red. "Yeah, you shouldn't have told me that," he said. "Old men like me don't need to hear that kind of stuff."

"The hell we don't!" Provenza exclaimed. "Being told we're hot by cute young girls is _exactly_ what we need to hear!"

General laughter followed that statement. Even Tao got the giggles.

* * *

><p>Gina decided she would bunk with her sister for a couple of days before returning home, leaving Andy and Sharon alone in the house again.<p>

"I'm glad the girls are reaching out to you, Andy," she said as they sat on the sofa.

Andy flipped his newspaper down. "Yeah, me too. Long time coming."

"Rosie said she was even a little jealous."

He grinned. "Love that kid. But you know, Carla's always been a little, well, different. Even when we were married, she was always a little suspicious of me, never quite trusted me, never really let me inside."

"Why did you marry her, then?" Sharon asked.

"Good question. I loved her, or thought I did. She said she loved me. And I guess I was just too dumb to realize that we really weren't that compatible, ever. I'm an idiot. But like you with Bob, I did get two beautiful daughters out of the relationship. Even if it's taken this long for me to be able to really get to know them."

"Do you ever wish you had a son?"

Andy thought about this for a moment. "Nah. I'd have been too rough on a boy. I know what I was like. My brothers both have boys, and they carry on the Flynn name, so girls were fine with me."

"You sound like Dad. His brother had boys, so the Callahan name lives on. He always said he wondered why anyone would want a grimy little boy when they could have a sweet, pretty little girl." She laughed. "But Matt's pretty good. He _was_ grimy, though. No doubt about that."

"All men are pigs. Even at this age," Andy said.

"You should know," Sharon said sweetly.

"Ouch. Twist that knife every chance you get, why don't you?"

"I have to remind you to respect me."

"I can't win. Ever," he replied, cuddling her to his side.

"Whiner," Sharon teased.

"I know it. But what can you do?"

"About you? Very little, but I accept that. Part of the package."

Andy chuckled at Sharon's cool tones. "If I didn't already know you were a wicked witch, that might hurt my feelings."

She stretched and hissed. "My hip is killing me today."

"Can I do anything?" he said, concerned.

"No. I'll just go sit in the tub for a while and let the jets soothe that muscle."

Andy nodded. "O.K. If you need me, yell."

Sharon reached up to kiss him. "I always need you, Andy. Always."

He gave her a pleased grin. "I'll try to remember that," he replied, getting up and giving Sharon a hand up from the sofa, also. He got ready for bed, still smiling a little from what Sharon said.


	5. Chapter 5: Ex Talk Saved by a Body

**A/N:** Yeah, long time, no write. Contrary muse and real life. Anyway, here's the latest! I know, some of my stories tend to turn dark, and this one is no exception. I stumbled across one little concept and it turned into a Major Crime. Please R&R! Reviews keep me inspired to keep writing!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Ex Talk; Saved by a Body<strong>

"I don't know. What do _you_ consider neutral territory?" Andy was on the phone with Carla.

Hearing only Andy's side of the conversation was enough for Brenda to be glad she didn't have children, or a pushy ex. She was just glad no one else was in the room right then, except Provenza.

"Carla, you know I've always been willing to talk. Anytime you wanted to. I personally think it would be really good to have a talk with you and Gina and Carolyn, all in the same room at the same time. You name the time and the place, and I'll be there."

Silence, then, "Because if I name the time and place, you'll talk about how inconvenient it is for you to get there, and how I did it that way, just to spite you." More silence. "Look, if you want to meet at the La Brea tar pits at midnight, I'll be there, O.K.? One of the conference rooms in your condo's community building? Sure. Sounds great. Text me with the time and day. That way, I'll have it in my phone and I can set an alert for it."

Brenda knew the reason Andy wanted Carla to text him was so, if she decided to "accidentally" change the time, she couldn't put it off on him.

"And I'll tell the girls to make sure they text me, too. So I know I'll get the message."

Brenda chuckled at Andy. Insurance. He was making sure Carla didn't have an "out" under any circumstances.

When he finally hung up, he rubbed the bridge of his nose, then his temples. "She keeps giving me reminders why I could not keep living with her. Must be why I love Sharon. She's never screechy. That's standard MO with Carla. She screeches for no reason."

"Yeah, screechy will kill the lust in a hurry," Provenza said sagely from behind his newspaper.

Andy snorted and went back to his computer.

* * *

><p>Carla looked absolutely ill when she saw Andy sitting in the meeting room on Saturday morning, talking with their daughters. It was obvious she hoped he wouldn't show up, thereby making her case that he was still an irresponsible, untrustworthy drunk. She sat down and said, "All right. What do you want to talk about?"<p>

Andy started to answer, but Gina said, "Mom, _you_ wanted to talk, remember? So I guess we need to start with what you wanted to talk about."

Carla narrowed her eyes at her daughter, then at Andy. She was still an attractive woman, Andy thought – except there was just a little too much crazy there.

"I guess you think your father hung the moon and stars now, and you think I'm the evil mom because he's told you a bunch of crap," she spat.

"Dad has never said a word about you, Mom," Carolyn answered. "Other than to wonder why you still hate him so much. And honestly, I'd like an answer to that one, myself. He's been sober 15 years. He's made every child support payment. He's tried to be a dad to us, but you kept pushing him away."

"He married a porn star for Christ's sake!" Carla exclaimed.

"And divorced her like, two years later," Gina said. "So what's the deal, Mom? It's not like either of your two other marriages worked out, either. So why give Andy such hell?"

"I can't believe you're taking his side. I'm the one who raised you."

Gina shook her head. "Mom, this bitterness is making you impossible to live with. You talk about Andy like he's the devil incarnate. You obsess about how he's deliberately making your life miserable, even when you haven't spoken to him in six months!" Then, a thought hit her and her mouth fell open. "That's it! You're still in love with him! And he's moved on and you haven't!"

Andy looked at his daughter with something like amazement. It had never occurred to him that Carla might still be in love with him. But the pieces fit.

Carolyn chuckled. "You hit it, sis," she said. "That's got to be it. What else could cause that kind of bitterness?"

"Forensic psychology, definitely," was all Andy said.

Carla's face had gone white with shock. "I can't believe you said that."

"_I_ can't believe I didn't think of it before now," Gina replied.

"You can't be serious. After the way he treated me? In _love_ with him? That's just – just – outrageous!" Carla spluttered.

"C'mon, Mom. Women go back to abusive jerks every day. Dad just got through working a case where that happened. Except Dad's not an abusive jerk," Carolyn said reasonably.

"Well, not the abusive part, anyway," Andy said dryly.

"And not a jerk anymore, either, Carolyn replied, smiling at him.

Gina shook her head. "Mom, you can't keep blaming him for everything gone wrong in your life. Nobody forced you to marry those other two idiots, and my God, how many times has Andy tried to reach out to you over the years and try to make it right? Or make amends, anyway. A lot. But you were so determined to hate him, you couldn't admit he might have changed. It's a lot easier to put it on him for ruining your life than to admit you might have screwed up along the way, too."

"My own daughter talking to me this way! Not possible," Carla said, her voice breaking.

"Then who can talk to you?" Gina shot back. "Somebody has to give you a little reality talk! It's tough being a single mom and Carolyn and I both appreciate all you've done. You've been a great mother, really. But I worry about you carrying around all this anger. In my psych classes, we've talked about the effects being angry can have on your health, and they're not good."

Listening to Gina, Andy was thrilled she obviously got the intelligent genes in the family. Must have been from Eileen. Certainly wasn't from him. He might revise his opinion about her future in psychiatry. Gina might make a first-rate attorney.

Carla's chin was trembling and she said, "So I'm crazy, now?"

In Andy's private opinion, yes, a little, at least. But he forced himself to keep his big mouth shut.

Gina answered, "No, Mom. But I really think some counseling would help you. You've been so resistant to it, but I think it might be good."

"I don't need counseling! I just need something in my life to go _right_, for a change!" She broke down in earnest.

Andy did feel tremendous sympathy for her, but didn't think his comfort would be welcome, so he let Gina and Carolyn handle it.

Carolyn took Carla's hand. "Mom, I'm sorry. I really am. But we're really blessed, when you think about it. We have each other, and you have a place to live that's paid for and a good job. I've got this great scholarship, so you don't have to worry about my education – we really have it good. We're not looking at foreclosure, and your company is in good shape. Mom, things are going pretty well for us. They really are."

Andy decided he could risk handing Carla a tissue box, and she actually didn't glare at him as she took it. That was progress, at least.

"Carla, we may never be best friends, but we don't have to be enemies," he said. "If you need something, I'm a phone call away. And since I've been sober, I always have been. I never wanted to hate you. I've resented the hell out of you for trying to keep me from seeing my girls, but I'm trying to get past that, too. We've both made a lot of mistakes. I know I have. Not trying to get out of that. But I'd like to believe I'm a better man than I was 20 years ago."

Gina smiled at him. "You are. No doubt about it."

Andy's phone rang just then. He looked at it and grimaced. "I have to take this," he said. He answered, "Flynn." Silence, then his daughters saw his eyes widen. "Are you kidding me? Yeah, I'll be there as soon as I can. Text me the address." He clicked off the call. "I'm sorry, ladies, but this cannot wait."

"I know. Duty calls, Dad," Carolyn said. "It's cool. I think we were nearly finished here, anyway."

"Yeah, we're good. Let us know what's up. Guess it's another case," Gina said.

"Looks that way," he answered. "I'll call you and tell you, if I can."

* * *

><p>Andy had some time to think on his way to the scene. He'd rather face a two-hour meeting with Will Pope than what he just went through. Carla still in love with him? He shook his head. What a thought. But maybe this would help Carla understand he loved his daughters and wanted to be a part of their lives.<p>

He pulled into a quiet street in a normal-looking residential area. This wasn't the kind of area where they usually caught cases, but Andy well knew murder could happen anywhere. He parked behind Tao's vehicle and started toward the front door.

"What happened, officer?" came the voice of an older lady. Andy turned to see a woman in the next yard.

"Not sure yet, Ma'am," he answered and decided he might as well start the investigation with her. He walked over to her. "Do you know who lives here?"

She nodded. "Yes. Well, I say, yes. I knew the girls who lived here. Didn't know the man very well, though."

Andy flipped open his notepad. "Do you know the names of the girls?"

"Only their first names. And I don't think those were their real names." She cocked her head to look up at Andy. "Officer, something very, very strange was going on in that house. I know I'm just a nosy old lady, but I'm not stupid."

"No Ma'am. I'd never make that mistake," Andy answered and smiled winningly at her.

She returned his smile. "Well, there were four girls who lived there. And they all dressed alike, or very much alike, anyway."

"How old were they, do you know?" he asked.

"In their twenties, I'd say. When they bought the house, there were only three of them: the man and two girls. But two more have showed up in the past year or so. This is Southern California, after all, so I was thinking, they were just, you know, into an alternative lifestyle, but there's more to it than that."

"Tell me," Andy replied.

The lady motioned him over to a bench near her trellis and sat down. "Arthritis. Can't stand too long. Have a seat, officer."

Andy sat and the woman looked keenly at him. "I guess you've seen a lot of strange things in your job, haven't you?"

He smiled. "A fair number. Why?"

"You're not too likely to be shocked, then."

"Not easily."

"Good. The girls, their names were Barbie, Francie, Christie and P.J. That's not natural, officer."

"No?" Andy asked as he jotted down the names.

The woman shook her head. "I had daughters who grew up in the seventies. Those are all names for Barbie dolls."

Andy's eyes widened. "Seriously? That _is_ weird. And you say they all dressed alike?" Some kind of weird cult? He wondered.

"Similar. Always had on denim skirts and print blouses. They were always very polite. Then, about three months ago, I just stopped seeing them."

"Stopped seeing them?"

"You know, out in the yard, going to the mailbox. It's like they disappeared."

Well, Provenza had said it was weird in his phone call. He handed her his card. "Ma'am, if you think of anything else, please give me a call. You never know what might be helpful."

She took the card and peered at it, then at him. "Lieutenant Andy Flynn. All right, Lieutenant. I'm taking you at your word to call you."

"I mean it. I want you to."

"I'll remember you said that."

Andy stood and smiled. "Please do. Have a nice afternoon."

He went to the door, gloved up and slipped the paper booties over his shoes.

"Nice of you to join us, Lieutenant Flynn," Brenda said, a little sharply.

"Sorry, Chief, but I did talk to the neighbor lady and she had some interesting things to say. Might be helpful."

"Well, that's one thing accomplished, then. Go into the kitchen and see what you make of the scene."

Andy went to the room. The SID people were still taking photos and measurements, and the body was still on the floor. He looked at the scene. "Oh, my God," he said.

"Yeah," Provenza answered, motioning to the floor.

Blood was everywhere. Disturbing as that was, what really got Andy was that there was writing on the cabinets and on the floor, in the blood. One sentence said, "Not your slave." Written on the cabinet was "Leah" and a nine-digit number, probably her Social Security number. The word "freedom" was on the opposite cabinet.

"Holy shit. Well, the lady next door said weird things were happening here. Looks like she was right on the money," Andy said.

"No kidding," said Tao. "But it's not a murder. It's a suicide. Our vic slashed her wrists with a kitchen knife."

"Jeez." For the first time, Andy really looked at the body. "What the…?" The girl was clothed entirely in some sort of pink latex bodysuit. It covered her from head to toe, leaving only her face visible. Even her hands were covered, except for where she had managed to slice the latex and slash her wrists.

Andy looked over at Provenza. "Are we just getting older, or are the cases really getting weirder?"

"Both," he said, then to Brenda, "Chief, it's a suicide. Why are we still here?"

"Because, Lieutenant, I think there's another crime. It looks like this poor girl was being held against her will. Lieutenant Tao, is that a Social Security number on that cabinet?"

"I think so, Chief. I'm running it."

"If she was being held involuntarily, that's a crime, and she was obviously so desperate to get out of her situation, this is what she did. So we could be looking at felony murder." Brenda looked at the forlorn body. "I hope it's felony murder, for sure." She glanced at Andy. "What all did the neighbor say?"

"Well, that she had a feeling something weird was going on, here. She said she mostly saw the girls, and they were all dressed alike, usually, and had strange names."

"Strange? Strange, how?"

Andy turned to that page in his notebook. "Barbie, Francie, Christie and P.J."

Brenda's eyes widened. "Seriously? Those are all Barbie doll names! I'll bet I had one of each when I was a little girl."

"That's what the neighbor said."

"So we should also be looking for an African-American girl, I'm thinking. Christie was Barbie's black friend. Which one was she, I wonder?" Brenda answered, gesturing toward the body.

* * *

><p>Except for Provenza, the Major Crimes squad was in the morgue, waiting on the autopsy results. Dr. Morales stood at the table, hands on his hips, looking at the body, now stripped of the latex suit. "On the one hand, I believe I know what was going on, but I also can't say a crime wasn't committed," he said.<p>

"Please explain, Doctor," Brenda said.

"Well, consensual slavery is not unheard of in the BDSM community, by any means. Few take it to these extremes, though."

"_Consensual_ slavery? Isn't that an oxymoron?" Gabriel asked.

"Not exactly," Morales answered. "Some people want to experience total submission, so they and a dominant agree to have a slave-master relationship. The slave agrees to pretty much become the master's property, and there's often a contract they sign defining the exact parameters of their relationship, what's allowed, what's not, and it's often for a specific period of time, after which they reassess."

Julio looked doubtfully at the doctor. "Doc, I've gotta ask. How do you know about all this?"

"I know people in that lifestyle. I've seen it. I admit, I find it odd, but it works for some people. But this – this is not what that lifestyle is about. You're going to want a psych evaluation for this guy, if you find him. Look here," and he raised the girl's head. "See that tattoo?"

Brenda peered at it. "It looks like a barcode."

"It is," the doctor answered. "I scanned it and came up with a website that is, in essence, a slave registry. It says her slave name is P.J. and she is the property of Master Ken."

Andy rolled his eyes. "Ken and his Barbies. How original," he said. "So people actually get barcodes tattooed on themselves and register as slaves? That's nuts. It's crazy. Even for L.A."

The doctor glared at Andy. "Don't judge, Lieutenant. As I said, it works for some people. But _consensual _is the key. This was obviously not consensual. Suicide is certainly not part of the contract. P.J. clearly didn't think it was voluntary on her part. She has partially healed scars. This isn't the first time she's tried to kill herself."

"Her name is Leah Wilson. I finally got her Social traced," Tao said, tapping on his iPad. "And she was reported as a missing person about eight months ago."

"Well, that confirms the involuntary part," Dr. Morales said. "Most of the time, the families are aware, at least in a general way, what's going on. Maybe not all of it, but they will know their loved one has moved in with someone else, even if they don't know the exact nature of the relationship."

"If it's not crazy, it's still a lifestyle prone to exploitation," Gabriel said.

"Oh, it is that," the doctor agreed. "You have to be very, very careful. I have friends who are in more, shall we say, conventional relationships now because something like this went bad. They said they'd rather be in a consensual slavery situation, but it's just too risky."

"Risky, my ass," Andy said to Julio, in a low voice. "It's just downright weird and creepy."

Julio nodded in agreement. "For real," he whispered.

"Doctor, are those electrical burns on her legs? Like from a cattle prod?" Brenda asked, pointedly ignoring Andy and Julio.

"Yes. Apparently, Master Ken was very much into the sadistic side of the relationship. Her body is covered with marks of one kind or another. Most tops try not to leave permanent scars. Not this individual, obviously."

"I remember that case we had years ago involving S&M and a cattle prod," Brenda said. "But that guy was an actual murderer. He wanted those girls to die. Apparently, this one just wants living Barbie dolls."

"He's a freak," Andy said.

"Hush, Lieutenant," Brenda answered.

"In spite of his generally narrow-minded outlook, the Lieutenant is right in this case. We are dealing with a true deviant," Dr. Morales said.

Andy's cell rang and he went into the hall to answer it. "Flynn."

"Lieutenant Flynn? This is Janice McLemore. We spoke this afternoon. Will you be there for a little while?"

"Sure. What's going on?"

"I have Christie with me and she wants to talk to you. At the police station. Can we come downtown?"

"Absolutely. Do you need an escort?"

"No, we'll be fine. We'll be there shortly."

"I'll call down to the front desk and tell them to send you right up," he answered. "Thank you so much for doing this."

Andy went back into the room. "Chief, we may have a break. The woman I spoke with earlier says she's bringing Christie downtown. She – Christie – wants to talk to us."

"Oh my goodness! Thank you, Lieutenant Flynn. Will you please drop by Dr. Hayes' office and ask him if he can join us? I'd like his input on the interview, from a psychiatric standpoint."

"Sure Chief. On it," Andy said, and left the room. He went to the psychiatrist's office and asked his receptionist to have Dr. Hayes come to the murder room.

* * *

><p>Andy made sure he was at the door of the murder room when Mrs. McLemore and Christie arrived. He noticed Christie had several bandages and hustled them into an interview room.<p>

"Thank you so much for coming. Christie, do you need medical attention?"

She started to shake her head but Mrs. McLemore said, "Yes, Lieutenant, I think she does. She got these jumping out of the back of a van, after all."

"Really? Well, I'll get the medics up here. Chief Johnson will be in here in just a minute. Can I get you some water or something? A soda? Some juice?"

"Juice would be great. Thank you," Christie said softly. Andy looked at her. She was thin and wore the denim skirt and print blouse her neighbor had mentioned. She wore her hair in the smaller Afro style Andy remembered from the mid-70s. Her bare feet were bandaged.

"I'll have it for you in a second," he promised, and went to the breakroom for the drinks. He snagged two bottles from the fridge, thinking of a variety of painful, unpleasant punishments for the man who thought he had the right to do this to anyone.

"Here's your juice," he said, coming back into the room. "And here's the Chief," as Brenda and Dr. Hayes entered the room. "Chief, I'm calling the doc up here to see about Christie's injuries."

Brenda nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson. This is Dr. Jon Hayes. Are you Christie?" The woman nodded.

"I'm Janice McLemore, her neighbor."

"So nice to meet both of you. Well, let's get started, then."

Andy had quietly exited and, after calling the doctor, made his way to the electronics room, where again, the crew was assembled. Even though it was a Saturday, Sharon had come in to see this interview, and Andy gave her his accustomed perch on the file cabinet.

"I hear you guys have a real pervert this time," she said in Andy's ear.

"Got that right."

"Mrs. McLemore, we'll begin with you," Brenda said. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Well, after your people left, it was quiet for an hour or so, until I heard knocking. I went to the door and Christie was standing there, dripping blood everywhere. She said she had been put into the back of the owner's van and had jumped out at a traffic light. She fell two or three times and her feet are cut to ribbons because she didn't have any shoes. I washed her scrapes and bandaged them, and she said she wanted to go to the police, that a crime was being committed."

"I see," Brenda answered. "Thank you. If you don't mind, could you wait outside while I talk to Christie? Lieutenant Flynn will make sure you're comfortable." Andy hustled back to the interview room.

The woman nodded. "I understand." Andy opened the door for her and showed her to the breakroom.

"Thanks again for doing this," he said. "You've been a huge help."

"You're welcome. Anything to help those poor girls," Mrs. McLemore said.

In the interview room, Brenda got out her legal pad and pen. "Can we start with your real name?"

The woman took a deep breath. "Keesha. Keesha Peebles. I'm from Long Beach."

"I see. What happened today?"

"Well, Francie and I were doing chores upstairs and it was P.J.'s – Leah's – turn to make lunch. So she was in the kitchen. Master Ken and Mistress Barbie were out back doing – something. Anyway, Francie went downstairs for her water ration and came running back, screaming. She said P.J. was bleeding on the floor. I ran down and saw the body. I didn't think it looked good, but I remembered from my high school CPR classes how to take a pulse, and there was nothing. She had bled out."

"What then?" Brenda leaned forward, elbows on the table.

"Well, I was all for slipping out and going next door to Mrs. McLemore's and calling the cops then, but Francie ran out the back, yelling for Master Ken to come in. He did and he freaked out. He collared me and Mistress Barbie got Francie, and they threw us in the back of the van." She smiled grimly. "I didn't know what was going to happen to us, but I knew I didn't want to be part of whatever he had in mind. I also remembered the lock to the back door didn't work right, but I hadn't mentioned it. I'd been planning to leave for a while, but I'd been trying to get the others to go with me. So, when we stopped at a light, I knew that might be my only chance. He was in such a hurry, he didn't restrain us like he usually did, and I tried to get Francie to go too, but she wouldn't. So I jumped out and started running like I was on fire. I went to Mrs. McLemore's house because I figured he wasn't stupid enough to go back to the house. Who called in the body, anyway?"

"The neighbor on the opposite side noticed the door was standing open and he looked inside and saw Leah on the kitchen floor," Brenda answered. "Not surprisingly, he was very shaken by what he saw. Now, how in the world did you come to be in that situation to start with?"

Keesha shook her head slowly. "Rank stupidity, that's how. I'd been in the S/M scene, and wanted to explore that side of it, and I _thought _I checked out Master Ken pretty thoroughly. Apparently, I didn't check carefully enough. Everything seemed to be all right at first, but then he got more and more bizarre. He picked up Francie the same way he got me, but Leah came in under a help wanted ad for a live-in maid. He did pay her for like, a month, but then started treating her like he did the rest of us. You'll want to search the house. All the records and videos are there."

"I'll have someone get right on it," Brenda said. Tao was watching and immediately got the dispatcher to connect him with the officer still at the house, to make sure the place was guarded.

"What about Barbie?" Brenda asked.

"She's in on it with him. She's his primary sub, but she's got a dominance thing, too. She was like our supervisor. We called her Mistress."

Brenda exhaled and looked at Dr. Hayes. "Doctor, your thoughts?"

"Keesha, can you say you noticed Leah's behavior changing recently?" he asked.

"Yeah. She stopped talking about escape, and started talking about freedom – at any price. I was really afraid something was going to happen, and I actually tried to say something to Master Ken about it. That's when I got this." She showed the doctor scars high on her thigh. "Cattle prod. He doesn't do well with anything he perceives as criticism."

Brenda looked puzzled. "But isn't that part of the master-slave relationship? I mean, no questions, no criticisms?"

"Not if the dominant has an ounce of good sense," Keesha answered. "Anytime the sub thinks something is really wrong, or there's a risk of life, he or she has an obligation to say something. Respectfully, of course, but that's part of the unspoken agreement in relationships that are managed like they should be. If something is really wrong, you're supposed to speak up."

"But instead of addressing the problem, he punished you for saying anything," Dr. Hayes said.

"That's right. And that's when I really decided I had to get out. But it was tough. Master Ken works from home, mostly, and he and Mistress Barbie kept us under lock and key, or under their eye all the time."

Since Brenda's days with the CIA, she had always thought she was difficult to shock. But this had her rattled. Still, she took a deep breath. "O.K. Please shed some light on the latex suit Leah was wearing."

"We were dolls. The suits dehumanized us. It's not unusual for a dom to put his or her subs in latex, but Master Ken did it because we were his Barbie dolls. He shouldn't have left us with movable thumbs. That's how Leah was able to hold the knife. I didn't know we had any in the kitchen that were sharp enough to do what she did, but she must have really honed it or something. And she tried it before, but the knife just wasn't sharp enough."

"Well, we're certainly looking for Ken and Barbie. And Francie. Can you tell us about the van they're driving?"

"Yeah. My grandpa was a mechanic, so I know cars. It's a white, 2000 Ford Econoline van. It's a 15-passenger with the seats taken out. I wouldn't put it past him to switch the plates, but when I saw it last, here were the numbers," and she wrote them on the margin of Brenda's legal pad.

Brenda read the numbers aloud and Julio went back to his computer to start running them. "I don't suppose you know Ken's last name, do you?"

"He always said it was Cunningham, but I don't know if that's true. I'm betting it's in the house somewhere, though."

In the electronics room, Tao started checking the name on his iPad.

"Keesha, you have been more than helpful today. I can't tell you how much. Now, I really think all those scrapes and bruises need some medical attention, so we're going to get our department physician to take a look at you."

"All right," she agreed.

"Back in just a minute." Brenda and Dr. Hayes went outside in the hall. "Doctor Hayes? She's so calm. In shock, maybe?"

"Almost certainly. She's detached herself from the situation so she can deal with it. I'd say she's essentially a strong person though, and with counseling, can get through this. Francie? I don't know. Since she wouldn't try to escape even after one of her friends slashed her wrists, I'd say she probably has severe Stockholm Syndrome and is incapable of it at this point. And it's two to one, now, so she's probably completely decimated mentally. I'm guessing she'll need residential psychiatric care before she's functional again."

"I see. You know, Doctor, I do try to have an open mind, but I'm having a very difficult time accepting this kind of mindset as normal. I've always thought human beings were wired to be independent, not slaves. Even if they thought they wouldn't make it, how many slaves escaped from the South? I'm just having trouble understanding this."

Dr. Hayes smiled. "I'll admit, Chief Johnson, it baffles me, too, but some people are in these relationships and they say these are fulfilling and normal for them. The human psyche has endless variations. This is one of them. And it's one reason most people know very little about this community. They tend to be secretive because of these kinds of incidents."

"I suppose," Brenda replied, doubtfully.

The department physician arrived and Brenda pointed him into the room, while she sent down for the kinds of scuffs issued to prisoners since Keesha had no shoes. She and Dr. Hayes waited during the examination. He came out and said, "I'm admitting her to the hospital for a couple of days. She's dehydrated and while not truly malnourished, I'd say her calorie intake has been restricted for a while. I'm betting she's also anemic."

"Thank you," Brenda said. "I want to ask her a couple more questions." She went into the room with the scuffs and handed them to the woman. "Keesha, you mentioned something about a water ration. Was your water intake restricted?"

"Everything was restricted. We got extra water when we were doing housework and so forth, but if not, we were restricted to about three cups a day, plus one with meals. We ate a lot of oatmeal. Plain, unsalted. You get used to it when that's all you get."

"You said Leah was fixing lunch when she killed herself."

"Right. The master's lunch, and our oatmeal. He gave her the knife to chop some onions for spaghetti sauce."

"I see. Thank you. Please go with Dr. Jansen, now. He wants to admit you to the hospital for some fluids and so on. But you can go to the breakroom and speak to Mrs. McLemore."

"Yes, I'd like that, thank you."

"You're welcome, Keesha," Brenda answered and went to the electronics room, where the squad had reassembled.

"Chief, I got a hit on that van. Registered to a Ken Cunningham, matches the address. Tao got his DVM photo and we've got a BOLO out on the van."

"Thank you, Detective Sanchez." She looked around at her crew and met each man's eyes and nodded at Sharon. "People, I want those two in custody even faster than humanly possible. Otherwise, we may be looking at another suicide, or some kind of ritualized murder. I don't know what Ken and Barbie might be capable of. And let's keep firmly in mind they are using an alternative lifestyle to hide what they really are: cold-blooded psychopaths. Detective Gabriel, ask around in Vice to see if they know of any BDSM clubs. If you get a list, show Ken's photo around to some of them and see if we get a hit. The only description of Francie and Barbie are what we've got from Keesha and Mrs. McLemore. The rest of you, with me to the house. Keesha said there were videos and records and so forth there. And we're going to need 24-hour surveillance on the house, but I want the uniforms to leave at sundown, hoping Ken will be dumb enough to come back to the house to look for the incriminating goodies. So we've got to toss that house and find every scrap of evidence before dark. Let's get going."

"Chief Johnson, if I may, I'd like to accompany your squad to the crime scene," Sharon said.

"Why ever for, Captain?" Brenda said suspiciously.

"You need every pair of hands, right? I'm willing to help."

"Well, all right, Captain. If you want to, come on."

"Thanks, Chief," Sharon answered.

* * *

><p>"Why did you want to come along?" Andy asked Sharon on the drive over to the crime scene.<p>

"Mostly for the reasons I gave your paranoid boss. She needs the help to go through this house. Although, if I'd been through what she has the past several months, I'd probably be a little paranoid, too. Master stroke, sending Gabriel out to canvass the clubs, though. It's important and needs doing, but it keeps him out of the informational loop."

"She's not stupid, babe."

"Oh no, I'd never accuse her of that. You know," Sharon said thoughtfully, "She's rather like what's called an 'idiot savant.'"

"Say what? You mean like Rainman? C'mon."

She chuckled. "Not exactly. But she does have that same single-minded, laser focus on a case, and I've watched her in interviews, especially right before she gets that confession. You can _see _her putting all the puzzle pieces together in her mind. She's a genius at collating a pile of seemingly meaningless or unrelated information and making into a coherent whole. It's really a gift, Andy!" Sharon was animated. "_That's _why she's so certain of her cases. She's already run all the permutations, if unconsciously, and her final solution is nearly always the correct one. That explains her disregard of the rules. Unless they help her achieve her ends, they're irrelevant." She sat back in the seat. "I just wish I'd figured it out five years ago. It would have saved me a lot of yoga classes and gray hair."

Andy laughed in earnest. "And of course, you were _always _right in your dealings with her."

"I never said that," Sharon primly replied.

"It's funny. I know I remember you stomping your size seven Jimmy Choos and saying, 'I must go first! I _must _go first!'"

"You're an annoying pig, Andrew Flynn," his wife snapped.

Andy oinked in reply. It was such fun to needle her. She always took the bait.

"Why do I let you do that to me?" she grumped.

"Simple. You want to jump my bones all the time." His smug tone was infuriating.

"If you weren't driving, I'd – I'd..." her voice trailed off.

"What? Whip me? Spank me? Make me write bad checks? Sounds like fun – with you, anyway. I can see you in spike heels and a leather corset, waving a whip around."

Sharon had to laugh in spite of herself. "As if. I had to turn in my stiletto heels when I broke my hip."

"Never been much interested in broadening my horizons like that, anyway," he said.

"What about that little scarf trick?"

"_That_? That was just fun. Feathers and stuff. You know. Oh. Did I ever tell you the difference between kinky and perverted? Kinky is when you use a feather. Perverted is when you use the whole duck." He laughed at his wit.

Sharon dissolved into giggles. "Oh, Andy! That's _awful_!"

"But funny."

"Well yes, funny. Still awful, though."

Andy parked behind Tao's car at the house. "Let's get this done," he said.

He and Sharon gloved up and put on the requisite shoe covers. They walked inside and Sharon said, "Chief, where do you want us to start?"

Brenda thought a moment. "The upstairs master bedroom. We haven't tackled that area yet. I'm sure SID has covered those areas as far as photos, but if you see anything interesting, get a picture of it, anyway. Just to make sure. I want this case airtight."

"You got it, Chief," Andy said. He and Sharon went upstairs to the main bedroom. It was immaculate. Andy looked at it and said, "Let's toss this place."

"Gladly." Sharon went to the dresser. "Locked. Fortunately, these locks are easy to pick." She reached into her purse and drew out something that looked like a steak knife, but with a narrow, thin blade. "Letter opener, and this kind excels at opening these kinds of locks." She inserted the opener into the lock and jiggled it around. Andy watched, fascinated. Suddenly, the catch released and Sharon opened the drawer.

"How did you do that?" he asked.

"I raised two teenagers. I had to have at least one advantage on them."

He grinned. "So you invaded their privacy like that?"

"At every opportunity," she said. "And look at them. They're wonderful, responsible adults. As a mom, I always had a search warrant."

Andy shook his head. "And you say I'm a piece of work."

"You are. Let's see what we've got. My, my, Fredrick's of Hollywood, BDSM division." She started pulling out all kinds of lingerie constructed from leather, latex and vinyl. One long skirt in red vinyl caught her attention. She looked at the bottom. "Good grief. How could you walk in this thing? With no kick panel or slit?"

"I don't think walking is the idea," Andy quipped.

"You have a point."

Every piece of storage furniture had a lock, and Sharon picked them all. Andy was going through a nightstand and said, "I'm glad we have gloves." He dumped a drawer full of sex toys on the bed. He stirred through them with a careful finger, grimacing. "I don't even know what some of these are," he said.

Sharon went to the bed and looked, too. She rolled her eyes. "You can get anything from the Internet." She got a picture of the items with her camera phone and said, "I'm downloading everything to a flash drive when we get home and deleting these. I'd hate to get caught with this stuff on my phone."

"That would boost the whole wicked witch thing, for sure," Andy snickered.

Sharon contented herself with glaring at him as she rifled through the rest of the dresser. A hollow knock caught her attention. "Hello!" she exclaimed. "What have we here? A drawer with a false bottom? Where's your pocketknife, Andy?"

"Here," he said, opening the medium blade and carefully prising the panel up from the drawer. "Get a picture before we touch anything."

Sharon took the photo and looked at the compartment. "SD cards." She picked one up. "This one has 32 gigs and it's high-speed. I'm betting they're videos. There must be fifty cards in here. Buzz is going to be one busy electronics guy, huh?"

"No doubt," Andy agreed. He held out an open evidence bag. "Dump 'em."

A closet held a metal filing cabinet. "Now it's my turn to pull a rabbit out of the hat," Andy said, and taking a small key from his pocket, fitted into the cabinet and unlocked it. "Always works. The people who make these have about three key templates." He looked through the contents, briefly. "Probably easier just to haul the whole damn thing downtown." He took the requisite photos and called Sanchez to ask if some kind of dolly was available.

When the detective arrived with two uniforms and the dolly, they removed the cabinet and put it in Sanchez' trunk for transport to the murder room.

Back in the murder room, the SID squad had thoroughly dusted the filing cabinet for prints, so Andy and Tao were going through the contents.

As he looked, Tao whistled low. Andy looked over at him. "What'cha got, Mike?"

"Photos. Lots of photos."

"Of our girls?"

"Yeah. And by the process of elimination, we have a picture of Francie, finally." He held up one of a tiny blonde, tied to a chair and looking terrified.

"Damn," Andy said. "We've got to find this girl."


	6. Chapter 6: X is not a Name

**A/N:** Inspiration came slowly on this one. But please, R&R! It really does help the muse get motivated! As always, thanks to those who leave reviews, and who have set the story as a favorite, or for alerts. I truly appreciate it!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: X is not a Name<strong>

"Flynn, let's get going if we're going to try to catch 'Master Ken' at the house," Provenza said.

"Sure. Don't suppose Tao and Sanchez saw anything, did they?" Andy asked, checking his watch. It was a little after midnight.

"Nada. But maybe we'll get lucky."

"With a stakeout shift starting at midnight? We're behind already," Andy groused.

"You're a night owl. What are you griping about?" was Provenza's answer.

Andy glared at his partner. "Because you're _not_ a night owl. When we've been there fifteen minutes, you'll be snoring loud enough to rattle the windows."

"Well, maybe they'll oblige us and try to get in before one o'clock or so."

"Fat chance," was all Andy said.

Andy was halfway through his thermos of coffee and his western on Sharon's Kindle. At least he could enlarge the print on the gadget so he didn't have to use his reading glasses. _Getting old sucks_, he thought. Then, he saw a vehicle pull up to the house and nudged Provenza who, as Andy had predicted, was sound asleep.

"What is it?" he grumbled.

"Car over at Ken and Barbie's dream house," Andy answered.

One thing about Provenza: at least he could wake up in a hurry. He sat up and peered across the street. "Sure looks like activity to me," he said.

"Yeah. Want to wait until they get inside, or get them now?"

"Let's wait, then block the car in the drive," Provenza replied.

"Good idea," Andy said and they watched three figures, one much shorter than the other two, enter the house. "By her size, looks like Francie's with them."

"Yeah."

Andy started the car, thankful for the quiet engine. He eased across the street and blocked the driveway. Then, he and Provenza got out and went to the suspects' car and leaned against it.

Several minutes later, Ken and Barbie came out the front door, followed by Francie.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Provenza asked.

"Nah," Andy said. "We tossed that place. We found a lot of interesting stuff, too. And it's in our crime lab being analyzed, even as we speak."

"You had no right to do that!" the man yelled. "I guess you don't need search warrants anymore, huh?"

Provenza chuckled. "Once we determined that a crime had been committed here, we no longer needed a warrant. It became a crime scene. But we had a warrant anyway, just in case." He waved it casually.

"What crime? Since when is suicide a crime, _officer_?" That was Barbie, all sarcasm.

Andy snorted. "When it starts including unlawful imprisonment, torture, forced labor… Should I go on, Provenza?"

"Nah. That hits the highlights."

"There's a difference between torture and unlawful imprisonment and a consensual BDSM relationship," Ken answered.

"You're damn right there is, and I don't think you understand that difference," Provenza said. "Now, since you two are into bondage, I don't guess you'll mind me putting you in handcuffs. And we also have a warrant to arrest both of you. Lieutenant Flynn can show it to you while I tell you what your rights are under the law."

"Go to hell," Ken said.

"Turn around, asshole, and put your hands behind your back, or Lieutenant Flynn will insist you do it. And you won't enjoy that pain, I can tell you," Provenza said in a reasonable tone.

"You can't do that to them!" Francie yelled.

"Let me call a black and white to transport these two and we'll take this girl back in my car. I'm not riding back all the way downtown with Ken and Barbie and no cage car," Andy said, as he took out his cell.

"Me either," Provenza agreed. He had Ken and Barbie cuffed and sitting on the front bumper of their car when the uniforms arrived.

They started for the two suspects and Ken yelled, "Don't you tell them _anything_, Francie! Do you understand me?"

Andy tried to get Francie to get in his car. She refused, crying and screaming. Andy rolled his eyes, got out his spare cuffs and restrained her. She then fell to her knees, still screaming.

"Now what?" Provenza said.

Andy sighed heavily, pulled the girl to her feet and picked her up in a fireman's carry and put her in the back seat of his car. Once there, she curled into a ball and sobbed miserably.

Provenza looked back at her. "Poor kid," he said.

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>Provenza had called Brenda in and she met them in the murder room. "Take her to my conference room," she said, gesturing to Francie. "The uniforms put the other two in interview one and two." Brenda pulled her brown sweater around her and narrowed her eyes. She pulled her hair up into a messy knot. "I am not playing the radio with this turkey," she said, and grabbing a manila folder, she went to Tao's desk and looked in one of his desk drawers. She extracted a thin piece of metal that, Andy noticed, had markings on it like a ruler, but it was rounded at each end.<p>

"What is that thing, Chief?" he asked.

She looked at it. "Lieutenant Tao calls it a 'pica pole.' It's a souvenir from when he worked at his college newspaper. He uses it as a ruler. He says it has many uses. Well, I'm about to test one of them, right now!" She smacked the object on Tao's desk and Andy winced.

"Be careful with that, all right?" he said.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant," she answered ominously.

Brenda perched her glasses on her nose, went to the interview room where Ken sat and threw open the door. Ken looked up, startled.

"Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson, Major Crimes," she snarled. She slammed the folder on the desk. "And I am in no mood to play head games with you, Mr. Cunningham, so I suggest you answer my questions promptly and completely, with no prevaricating, or I am going to lose the tee-tiny thread of patience I'm hanging on to. Do you understand me?"

"Sir."

"Excuse me?"

"'Do you understand me, Sir?' You will call me sir, if you expect a response to your little questions, sweetie. Don't try to top me. It won't work."

Andy and Provenza were in the electronics room watching. They looked at each other, waiting for the explosion.

Brenda seemed to visibly enlarge with rage, but her voice was quiet. "Oh really? Surely, Mr. Cunningham, you're not actually delusional enough to believe you're _in charge_ around here, are you? But maybe you are. So, in that case, you need educating. I am a Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. You are my suspect. Any kind of, oh, authority, you think you might have outside this building is worth exactly nothing in here. I'm a professional interrogator trained by people who would make you wet your pants, and I've broken _really_ bad people. You're not even up to amateur status compared to them. They had a hand in bringing down governments, while all you can do is forcibly intimidate young women so you can keep playing with _dolls_!"

"Kitten with a whip," Provenza cracked and Andy chuckled.

"You bitch. You're so far below me in status, it's pathetic. You wouldn't last ten minutes in my collar."

"Is that so? Well, well, well. You've been in _my_ cuffs for an hour. You're cuffed to _my_ table. You'll go to _my_ bathroom if _I_ say so. You'll get water or food if _I_ say so. And when you get to your cell, you'll be in the company of people who will show you right quick where you stand with them. They'll have you bent over a rail, taking what they give you, and you dast not say a word, or you will absolutely find out all about the real meaning of pain. I own you now. As long as you're in this building, I _own_ you."

Andy leaned back in the chair in front of the monitor. "Stop while you're behind, you idiot," he laughed. The electronics room intern was filling in for Buzz and he snickered too, albeit nervously.

"Is he so stupid he can't feel when a woman's got him by the short hairs?" Provenza said.

"It's all that S and M crap. He can't feel his balls anymore," was Andy's response. Provenza and the intern both laughed out loud at that.

Brenda smacked the pica pole on the metal table and it made a satisfyingly shrill "snap!" Ken jumped and then glared at her. "Apparently, you're getting the picture. I'll let you think about it a while," she said and swept out of the room.

The door to the electronics room opened and Brenda walked inside. "Did you all see that?"

"Way to handle the perv, Chief," Provenza said.

"Yeah, well." She looked at her watch. "Lieutenant Flynn, it's 6 a.m. Do you think the Captain might be up?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Well, I'd really like someone else to talk to Francie – someone she doesn't associate directly with the squad. Captain Raydor has shown a lot of sensitivity in dealing with abused women, and since we don't have another woman on the squad..."

"I'll give her a call," Andy said.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Brenda looked at the monitor at Ken. "I wanted to smack his face with that pica pole. Repeatedly. I think it would do him a lot of good. That or coming upside his idiot head with a baseball bat."

"Sounds good to me," Provenza said.

Brenda walked back into the murder room and saw a weary-looking Detective Gabriel tacking Ken's photo on the board. "Morning, Chief. I canvassed a bunch of the clubs from that list Vice gave me. 'Master Ken' is a known quantity. He's been banned from most of them."

"And Chief," Tao piped up, "Good morning to you, by the way. Now that I have a Social on him to run, I found out that Ken Cunningham is wanted for at least fifteen assault charges in New Jersey."

"Is that so? Well, I suppose we'll have to let the district attorneys hash out who gets priority on this, since murder isn't on the table. Yet. But I still have a case right here. How about little Miss Barbie? Anything on her?"

"Found her too, Chief," That was Sanchez. "She's Stella Sanders from Reseda. Couple of petty misdemeanors for possession, but that's about it."

"I see. Well, I'll go talk to her, now. Captain Raydor will be in at some point to talk to Francie. Do we have an ID on her yet, by the way? Keesha never could get her to tell her a real name."

"I'm running her photo through the facial-recognition software. It could be a little while," Tao answered.

"Do what you can. And thank you all for working this all-nighter. I know we're all tired." She picked up her folders and walked to the other interview room. She paced in front of the door, pondering her approach. Crap. It was just too early in the morning to think about how to psych out this woman. She was feeling very much like the uber bitch in charge, so the direct method it would be. As she had done with Ken, Brenda flung the door open, slammed the folders on the table and said, "O.K. You're Stella Sanders from Reseda, your face is all over those video cards and I am sick to death of dealing with your little friend Ken in there. Therefore, I strongly suggest you answer my questions or I'm just sending you straight to Booking and you can tell your troubles to a judge."

"I want a lawyer," was the only answer Brenda got.

"Fine and dandy. That's your constitutional right. Shall I call the public defender's office or do you have someone in mind?"

"None of your business."

Brenda narrowed her eyes at the woman. "Alrighty then. You'll get your phone call. And in the meantime, you'd better be thinking of one damn good reason you treated that girl in such a way. And if you spout that 'consensual slavery' crap at me, I won't be responsible for my actions." Stella just turned her head and Brenda left the room, slamming the door as hard as she could.

* * *

><p>Sharon had arrived by the time Brenda got back to her office. "Good morning, Captain. Thank you for coming in so early, and on a Sunday. I appreciate it."<p>

"Glad to help, Chief," she answered. "I saw the girl in your conference room. Pitiful."

"I know it. I was just shocked when I saw her. Dr. Hayes said yesterday he thought she would probably need residential psychiatric care and I figure he's probably right."

Sharon nodded. "Undoubtedly. I'll see what I can do, but she may refuse to talk to me."

"She may, but we have to give it a shot."

"We do," Sharon answered.

"Chief!" Tao said. "We got a hit on Francie with the recognition software. She's Jade Hale, 20, San Diego."

"Long way from home. Thank you, Lieutenant. Can you see if anyone has filed a missing persons report on her?" Brenda replied

"Already done, and yes, her mother filed a report four months ago."

"Good work, Lieutenant Tao." Brenda looked at Sharon. "Do what you can," she said.

"I will." Sharon opened the door and sat down across from the girl, whose cuffs had been removed. "Jade, I'm Sharon. Can I talk to you?"

"I'm Francie. Master Ken said I'm only to answer to Francie."

"All right. Francie, did you know your mother filed a missing persons report on you? She is very, very worried about you."

"I am the property of Master Ken."

"Lieutenant Tao is calling your mom to tell her we found you. I know she's going to come up here to take you home."

"No! I have to go back to Master Ken! He'll punish me if I don't!" Jade stammered, terrified.

Sharon chewed on her lip. This girl was unbelievably damaged. She might never completely recover. Was she even competent? Sharon's mind started turning. If Jade were declared even temporarily incompetent, then the state could file charges on her behalf against Cunningham. It would also certainly give credence to a charge of torture and mental cruelty.

"Francie, Ken is not going to punish you again. Ever. He's going to jail. He can't keep going around and doing what he did to you and Keesha and Leah."

"Leah. She was P.J.! She was reactant. She just wouldn't do what she needed to do. If she had only obeyed, it wouldn't have happened to her!"

"She killed herself rather than stay in that situation. She's dead. She preferred death to obeying Ken." Sharon's tone was even, soft, reasonable.

"No! She can't be dead!"

"You saw the blood in the kitchen. She slashed her wrists."

The girl started to sob. "I'm so sorry! I should have fixed the lunch. She volunteered, but it was my turn! I shouldn't have let her!"

Sharon's heart broke for this girl. She was younger than Rosie! "It's not your fault. You couldn't have known. But now, you need to tell me the truth. How long did Ken keep you?"

"No! He said I wasn't to tell you anything!"

Sharon sighed. "Francie, it's all on the video cards. You might as well." The girl shook her head vehemently. "All right. I know you've got to be hungry. Let's get you some breakfast, O.K.? Will you eat it?"

"I am to eat anything that anyone sets before me, without complaint or comment," the girl said, obviously parroting one of the rules of the house.

"Sure. We'll get you something, then. But if you want to talk, ask for Sharon, and I'll be here." She walked out of the room, shaking her head. Andy was at his desk and held out a hand for her. She went to him and took it. He squeezed her hand.

"You did the best you could. She needs more help than any of us can give her."

"I know, but it kills me to see another human being just mentally destroyed like that."

"Yeah, me too," he said softly.

"Let me go down to the snack bar and get something for her. Eggs and toast should be O.K. And juice. I know she's malnourished. And dehydrated. I can tell that from the way her skin looks."

Andy nodded and patted Sharon's hand again. He knew in a situation like this, she needed to be doing something to help.

* * *

><p>Shortly after Sharon left, Ronald Goldman entered the murder room. Andy was on his feet immediately. "What do <em>you<em> want?" he snapped.

Goldman looked at Andy and shuddered. He hated Flynn and he was also terrified of him. Detective Sanchez was also looking malevolently at him. He cleared his throat. "Good morning to you too, Lieutenant Flynn. I'm here to see my client Stella Sanders. If one of you haven't pummeled her beyond recognition, that is."

"Careful, counselor," Andy replied. "Gavin Baker might think that sounds a little slanderous."

"Where's my client, Lieutenant?"

"In interview two. Down the hall, to your left. And by the way, _counselor_. We had a warrant and Mirandized her. When she got here, she invoked and the Chief walked out of the room. It's all on tape. So don't get any funny ideas about how we didn't follow procedure. But I don't think you've been getting too many ideas about much of anything lately, have you?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Goldman answered.

"I'm sure you don't, either. Go see your client, Mr. Goldman. And good luck getting her out of here."

Goldman scuttled down the hall. He always had the feeling either Flynn or Sanchez were just itching to make a grease spot out of him.

"How did she get a rat like Goldman to represent her?" Provenza mused.

"He represents people," Tao said. "It is a strange coincidence, though."

"Hmph," was Andy's only response.

After several minutes in consultation with his client, Goldman reappeared. "My client would like to speak with your Chief," he said.

Tao nodded. "I'll tell her."

Brenda sailed into the interview room. "Mr. Goldman, before you and your client come up with anything too detailed, I really think you should see these very interesting video clips from SD cards found in your client's home, with a warrant, by the way." She peeked outside the door. "Lieutenant Tao, if you would, please?"

Tao came in with his iPad and his fingers played rapidly across its screen. He set the tablet up on its easel so both Goldman and Stella could see it, and pressed "play" on the screen.

The video showed a girl sitting at a table, hands chained to the edges. She was sobbing.

"That's Leah Wilson," Brenda said. "She died yesterday."

"By her own hand, as I understand it," Goldman said.

"True, but because that was her only way out, she thought," Brenda answered. "Keep watching."

A voice off-screen said, "Sign the contract and you'll be fed."

Leah answered, "I don't want to sign! I want to go home! I thought Ken just needed a housekeeper!"

Suddenly, Stella appeared in the frame and slashed Leah viciously across the back with a riding crop. "Master Ken! How many times do you have to be told, you stupid bitch? You will never refer to the Master by only his first name!"

"Master Ken! I thought Master Ken just needed a housekeeper! I don't want to stay here! I want to go home!"

Another slash. "You are Master Ken's property, now! You entered the house of your own free will!"

"As a paid housekeeper! Not as a sex slave! I'm not a slave!"

"You are a slave. You are Master Ken's slave. You have no other name and no other life, now. You are his property, his possession. Sign or starve."

Brenda reached over and stopped the playback. "I have similar footage for Jade Hale, for Keesha Peebles and hours of video of the girls being savagely beaten, forced to eat excrement, drink urine – acts that go far beyond any kind of consensual slavery 'contract.'"

Goldman looked shaken by what he had seen. "May I have a moment with my client?"

Brenda stood. "Certainly. But hear me, Mr. Goldman. I don't really need her help. The District Attorney will have no trouble charging her for conspiracy to commit everything Ken Cunningham is charged with."

"Those videos are prejudicial. I'll get them suppressed."

"No, you won't. They are direct evidence. Aren't you good enough to explain them all away as consensual, as acceptable acts within that kind of relationship? So think about that, Mr. Goldman, as you're speaking with your client." Brenda left the room, taking Tao's iPad with her. She placed it on his desk. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I know this was difficult footage to edit, but I hope it does some good."

"Me too, Chief," he answered.

Goldman came out of the interview room. "A word, Chief Johnson?"

"Of course," she answered, and walked into the hall.

Goldman cleared his throat. "Chief Johnson, my client is willing to give you all the information you need about Mr. Cunningham, provided the D.A. is willing to allow her to plead to a lesser charge. She was also coerced by Mr. Cunningham."

Brenda closed her eyes in disgust. "She didn't look very coerced to me."

"She says she was in fear of her life, that Cunningham would have beaten her just as severely, if not worse, if she had failed to obey him."

"Oh, for heaven's sake… Fine. I'll have our department psychiatrist interview her and the D.A. can do what he wants to with it. I'm washing my hands of her. She's the D.A.'s problem and your problem, now. I can only handle one problem at a time today, and the one I'm interested in handling is in my other interview room. Good day, Mr. Goldman." Without another word, Brenda went to the room and stepped inside.

Goldman stood in the hall, astonished. "What should I tell my client?" he asked of the air.

"Tell her to wait on DDA Garnett," Provenza answered. "In fact, I'll give him a call now. In the meantime, why don't you toddle on back into the interview room and sit with your client and act like you give a damn about what happens to her?"

The attorney started to answer, but the looks on the faces of the Major Crimes crew made him think twice. Then Captain Raydor came in and he decided the less said, the better, so he nodded and went back into interview two.

"What's he doing here?" Sharon asked.

"He's Barbie's attorney," Sanchez replied.

"Is that so? Hmmm. Well, I got some breakfast for Jade. I hope she'll eat it." Sharon took the box and container of juice into Brenda's conference room.

"Francie? I brought you some breakfast," Sharon said as she opened the door.

"Why?"

"I know you're hungry. It has to have been a while since you've eaten and you need some nutrition," Sharon answered kindly. She set the box in front of the girl and opened it. She placed the fork packet next to it, but was shocked when Jade started eating with her fingers.

"Why are you doing that? Why aren't you using the fork?" Sharon asked.

"I am an owned slave. I use my fingers. Forks are for masters."

_Dear God_, Sharon thought. "Well, I'm a Captain and I'm telling you that it's fine for you to use a fork. It's only a plastic one."

"As a Captain you have authority over me. I will use the fork," Jade answered and opened the packet.

Sharon sighed, but watched over the girl while she ate and drank the juice. She could tell Jade was nearly asleep in her plate, and helped her to the sofa where she dozed off immediately. Sharon quietly left the conference room. "I'd like to take that jerk apart with my bare hands," she said when the door closed.

"Join the club," Andy replied, a faint grin on his face. He told her about Brenda's interviews with Barbie and Ken. She raised an eyebrow. Sharon might be about to do something interesting, given her current mood, and her expression.

Brenda came out of the room, obviously upset. "Swear to God, I'm going to _crucify_ that creep!" she yelled.

"Can I have a shot at him, Chief?" Sharon asked.

"Be my guest, Captain. Please do," Brenda snapped.

"Captain…," Andy's voice trailed off warningly.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. By the book, always," she replied. She walked toward the interview room.

"I don't like that look," Andy said. "It's never good when she looks like that."

"To the electronics room. I have to see this," Provenza said.

Andy nodded and they all went to the room and crowded inside. They watched as Sharon entered the interview room.

"Cunningham," she began. "I am Captain Raydor and you are insubordinate. You have been much less than respectful to Chief Johnson and that simply will not be tolerated.

Cunningham sighed heavily. "What the hell is wrong with you people? Why are you women trying to top me here?"

Sharon put her hands on her hips and a slow smile crept to her face. "I don't have to _try_ to top you. I topped you the minute I walked into the room, you little sissy. In fact, you need a nice dominant to show you just what a bimbo you are."

"And I guess you think you're the one, huh?" he said, but with less conviction.

"I know I am, because I know a whore when I see one."

Andy leaned against the wall, grinning in admiration. He had known Sharon was gearing up for something. She had probably been plotting this tactic, just in case she got a chance to interview Master Ken.

"Can't see the Chief doing this kind of interview," Tao said.

"Not in a million years," Provenza answered.

"So I'm a whore, huh? What does that make you?" Ken said, regaining a little bravado.

"Me? That makes me the bitch Captain who's going to teach you some manners. There's nothing I hate worse than a slut like you trying to start your own little harem, like you've got the balls to do it. I'd slit my wrists too, before I'd let a wannabe like you top me. Now lower your head in respect and answer my questions, or ask for an attorney."

The seconds ticked by as Sharon stood in the room, meeting Cunningham glare for glare, her arms folded, her green eyes hard as jade. "I'm waiting. And I don't like to wait, panty girl."

"_Panty girl_?" Provenza looked over at Andy. "Something you're not telling me, Flynn?"

Andy shook his head, his eyes wide. "You got me on this one. But if it works, hey, why gripe?"

They could see on the monitors that Sharon was still staring at the suspect. "Barbie rolled on you," she said. "Your little slave rolled on you. She's telling Chief Johnson she was coerced and she's corroborating everything Keesha Peebles has already told us. Jade Hale will probably be declared incompetent, and the state will file charges on her behalf. You are in a shitload of trouble and you're too stupid to realize it, or you think that, in the freewheeling state of California, home of fruits and nuts, that no one is going to question you when you spout 'alternative lifestyle." She smirked again. "Have I ever got news for you, then. Even though Leah Wilson committed suicide, there is plenty of evidence for a felony murder charge on you. It's not consensual when people _die_, you piece of filth!" Her voice rose for the first time. Then it dropped to just above a whisper. "But maybe you're not a real sissy. Maybe you're just a common, garden-variety psychopath who hit on this idea as a good way to keep from getting caught. Only you're not as smart as you think you are. You're not a genius, after all. You're simply another criminal who was just too stupid to stay out of jail." She turned to go.

"I'm not stupid, you bitch! You can't say that!" he screamed.

Sharon looked over her shoulder at him. "I can, and it's true," she replied in the Raydor monotone.

Ken exploded, then. "You don't know how I can dominate women! I have total power over them! Those women stayed because they were too weak-minded to leave! I am a superior mind! I controlled them with the force of my will! Beating them was the only way to ensure compliance. I am better than they are! I am _superior_!"

Sharon smirked at the man. "Keep telling yourself that, sweetie, while you're being booked and when you're sitting in jail after that guilty verdict comes in." She left the room. When she closed the door, she could hear Ken screaming and still having a fit.

The squad looked at her when she went into the electronics room. "Keep taping. If he admits to anything else, he's been Mirandized."

"Some interview, Captain," Provenza said.

Sharon chuckled. "Thank you, Lieutenant. The Internet is a wonderful thing. One finds all sorts of useful information about how to deal with sexual sadists."

"Panty girl?" Andy said.

She grinned at him. "As I said, the Internet is so useful. I think it's safe to call the Deputy D.A. for these two." She patted Andy's shoulder and left the room.

* * *

><p>Sharon knocked on Brenda's office door and peeked inside. "You can watch the tapes, but I think there's enough to get Cunningham for felony murder. He's completely psychopathic. But he certainly knows the difference between right and wrong, so there's no grounds for an insanity plea. I brought Jade some breakfast and she ate. Have you called the doctor?"<p>

"He's on the way. I know he's going to admit her. I called her mother, and she's driving up today. Should be here this afternoon. She was so relieved to hear Jade was still alive. She was fearing the worst, and I can't blame her."

Sharon glanced over into the conference room. "The worst might have happened if she had been there longer."

Brenda nodded. "No kidding. Well, Captain, this is one of the stranger cases I've worked, and that's saying a lot."

"Andy said the same thing when he called me this morning. I know what Dr. Morales said, and honestly, I do try to keep an open mind about things, but this..." her voice trailed off.

Brenda grinned ruefully. "Between just us girls, Captain, me too. I don't get it. I don't understand it. I mean, at the risk of TMI, you know, a silk scarf, maybe a blindfold. That's just fun between two people who trust each other. _This _stuff, now. It's beyond me. But if it's truly consensual, it's legal, and I don't have to understand it."

"I know, Chief. I know. Two words for you and Agent Howard: honey dust." Sharon grinned wickedly and left the office.

Brenda turned to her computer. "Honey dust?" she said and typed it into a search engine. She found a description and giggled. "That does sound like fun," she murmured and an image of honey dust and Andy floated through her mind. She flushed with heat. "Oh, for heaven's sake! You're a married woman, Brenda Leigh!" she chastised herself.

Two hours later, Jade had been transported to the hospital, and Stella and Ken had each been remanded for psychiatric evaluation. Except for the paperwork, this case was, thankfully, done. And the paperwork could wait until Brenda's people had some rest.

She went into the murder room. "Folks, you all have worked so hard to get this case solved, and I thank you so much. Let's all go home and get some rest and we can get the clerical work done tomorrow. It's been a very long two days." Murmurs of assent followed this and Andy stood and stretched.

"I'll be glad to get home," he said.

"How did the family conference go, by the way, if you don't mind telling me?" Brenda asked.

"All right. Maybe we got to a truce, and not even an armed one."

She smiled. "That's nice to hear."

"Yeah. Thanks for asking, Chief," he replied and grabbed his jacket.

* * *

><p>Once home, Andy stepped out of the shower, glad to feel clean. He had showered in the locker room the night before, but had forgotten a change of clothes, and he felt grubby and smelly.<p>

He went into the bedroom, toweling his hair dry.

"Hi gorgeous," came Sharon's voice. "I didn't sleep too well last night. I missed you."

He looked up and smiled. Sharon lounged on the bed in one of his old T-shirts, looking hot. As usual. "I missed you too. Thanks for loaning me your Kindle, though. Made the stakeout go a little quicker." Here, he went to the bed and lay beside her. "Believe me, sitting in the car next to a snoring Louis Provenza is nowhere near as good as lying next to a snoring Sharon Raydor Flynn." He grinned at her.

"I do _not _snore, Andrew!" she said.

He held up his thumb and forefinger. "Only a little bit, and not loud, so it's O.K."

"As opposed to you."

"Am I that bad?" Andy asked.

"Only when you've got a cold, like back in February. I had to retire to Rosie's room for a couple of nights, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." He ran his hand up her thigh, under her shirt. "Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to sleep for a while?"

Sharon's smile was feline. "Because you're not. But don't worry. I'm going to do all the work. All you need to do is lie back and enjoy it."

"That's the best offer I've had all day," he smirked. He rolled to his back. "Do your worst," he said.

"I think you deserve better than that," she answered softly, leaning over to kiss him, loving how his lips melded to hers. She kissed along his jaw line, to under his ears, then nibbling them softly. She could taste droplets of water left over from his shower, reminding her again how much she loved Andy's body at this moment, with his skin damp and scented pleasantly with his soap. It was just grocery store soap, but it was what he used and she associated it with him. Going back to his mouth, she tugged gently at his lower lip with her teeth, then kissed him open-mouthed, with her tongue teasing his.

She could feel his hands on her back, underneath the shirt, and she pulled it off, kissing him again, pressing her breasts to his chest, feeling the warmth and she moved her hands to his hair, nearly dry now, and she tousled it with her fingers, then moved down again to kiss his chest and especially his nipples, feeling him twitch and hearing him sigh as she did.

"Too good, babe," he whispered.

Sharon grinned in reply and kissed her way down to his scars, as she often did, since they reminded her to be grateful all over again. She started at the end of the scar and licked its length, then kissed the skin on his stomach and lower, until she took him in her mouth.

She was so good at this, Andy thought. She seemed to know what would make him feel good by instinct. He never had to suggest anything. As soon as he thought of what would feel good, she was doing it. It often seemed they were in each other's heads, but never more so than when they were making love. The connection then was so strong.

Once Sharon was satisfied it wasn't going to be long for Andy, she climbed on top of him and pressed his length inside her, sighing deeply as she did. His hands went to her breasts and he teased her nipples with his fingers, and then reached to touch her center, where he could feel her slick heat, for him. Nothing made him hotter than knowing she wanted him. As she moved her hips, he thrust upward, wanting to feel even more of her body. "C'mon. Take us over the edge. I want you, Sharon," he rasped.

"I want you, too. Oh, you're always too good. You always feel so good!" she said, putting her hands on his shoulders and moved more urgently. Andy's release followed quickly and then he touched her until she also came apart in his arms and collapsed to the mattress beside him.

The sweet afterglow chased away the tensions and evils of the past two days, and Andy pulled their blanket over their bodies, then cuddled Sharon to his chest. "I don't know how I did this job without you. I couldn't do it without you, now," he sad into her hair.

She sighed. "Yes you could, but I'm glad you feel that way. But I know I couldn't live without you, for sure. I'd be so lonely and lost. I love you so much," she said, her voice already thick and drowsy.

"Not another one like you, babe," he said, as desperately-needed sleep overcame him.


	7. Chapter 7: Nuclear EXplosion

**A/N:** And chapter 7! Hope you guys are still with me, here! There's some excitement in this chapter. For the reviews and to all those who have set the story for alerts or as a favorite, many, many thanks! It means a lot to know you like what I'm doing. Hope you enjoy this chapter and **R&R**!

Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Nuclear EX-plosion<strong>

Sharon got the opportunity to read the Sunday paper while Andy caught up on his sleep. These kinds of cases took it out of him. She thought that, as many years as she had on the force, she would stop wondering why people did the things they did. But it still puzzled her. She supposed the day she stopped wondering would be the day it was time to retire.

At least Andy could sleep, though. She'd had officers under her command who stayed awake, sleepless, for nights on end because of a case that bothered them. Andy could usually sleep and could leave cases on his desk, where they belonged. Most of the time, that is. The Red Hunter case was a different story, but that one had kept officers awake in every division that had a hand in it.

She put the paper down on the table and took off her glasses. How her life had changed the past year and not even considering her accident. That was mostly a haze, anyway, except for her occasionally achy hip joint. Andy had come into her life like a tornado. He turned everything upside down, and when she righted herself, she found she was happier than she had ever been in her life. With Andy Flynn, of all people. He was the last officer she ever would have thought of dating, much less marrying. And given her track record with men, she felt she'd had reason to be very cautious. But Andy laid all that to rest.

Her cell rang. It was Matt. "Hi sweetheart," she answered. "What's going on?"

"You gonna be home today?"

"Sure, but aren't you in Stanford?" Sharon asked.

"Nope. San Diego. Drew Crawford, you know, my roommate when I lived in the dorm. Well, he bought a car online in San Diego and I drove him down here so he could pick it up. I'm coming back through town and thought I'd come by, crash at your place and drive back to Stanford tomorrow since I don't have class."

Sharon smiled. "That sounds great, Matt. What time can I expect you?"

He thought. "Maybe about three or so?"

"Wonderful. Andy had a case he worked for two days straight, so he's catching up on his sleep, but why don't I call Rosie and I'll do one of those huge breakfasts like we used to have when you two got home from camp?"

"That would be awesome, Mom! I'd say I could use a home-cooked meal, but I stayed with Aunt Laura last night and she and Gramma cooked. She and Grandpa are doing pretty well."

"Laura said they were, but I'm glad to hear it from you, too. I'll be looking for you about three, then, all right?"

"All right. See ya!" He clicked off the call.

Sharon stretched and went to the refrigerator to see what she might need from the grocery store. Eggs, definitely. Well, nearly everything, if she was really going to do this right. Maybe Andy's girls would like to join them. She would have Andy call them when he got up.

Sharon tiptoed into the bedroom and slipped on jeans and a T-shirt, trying to be as quiet as possible.

"'Sup, babe?" came Andy's sleepy voice.

"I didn't want to wake you up. You go back to sleep. I'm cooking this afternoon for you and the kids and I'm going to the store."

"Need some help?"

"No. You need to sleep, though. Turn over and catch some more Z's, Lieutenant."

A drowsy chuckle. "Yes, Captain." Shortly, his even breathing told Sharon that Andy had gone back to sleep. He'd been up for most of two days and he needed good, uninterrupted rest.

Grocery shopping in Los Angeles was never a fun trip, even on Sundays. So it was that Sharon spent nearly two hours getting to and from the store, and buying what she needed. "There's a reason people buy their groceries online," she muttered, as she opened the trunk to get the grocery bags.

Andy was up and heard the car, so he shrugged into a T-shirt and sweats and went to help her haul the bags inside. "Did you buy out the store?" he teased.

"Be quiet. We were out of nearly everything."

Andy scanned the trunk full of bags, and the overflow into the back seat. "Let me guess. $325. How close did I get?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "It was $310. I can't believe groceries are so expensive."

Andy grabbed several bags. "Price of living in Southern California. Everything costs more on the West Coast. You should hear the Chief gripe about the prices when she comes back from a trip to Atlanta. She said everything costs at least 30 percent more out here," he answered.

Sharon opened the back door for him. "Unbelievable," she sighed, then looked at him. "Why are we out here, anyway? Why don't we move somewhere cheaper?"

He chuckled. "My pension, your pension. But maybe, when we're old and retired, we'll consider it. They say you can make out like a bandit in Costa Rica."

"Sounds wonderful. You want to call your girls and see if they're interested in coming over? Matt said he'd be in about three."

"Yeah, that actually sounds like a good idea," Andy said. "It's nice having a family occasionally."

* * *

><p>Matt was early. He got home about 2:30 and he and Andy got busy picking apart the Dodgers' pitching staff. Rosie arrived and seeing the men talking baseball and yelling at the T.V., just laughed and went to help her mom.<p>

At 3:00 sharp, Matt heard a car pull into the drive. "Must be your kids," he said to Andy, and went to look out the window. A cute blonde got out of the driver's seat, and then the passenger door opened and another girl exited the car. Who _was_ that gorgeous creature? Was that Andy's daughter, or some friend? She had long, dark brown hair and big brown eyes. She looked like an Italian model or something.

"Holy cow," he said. "Who is that?"

"That's Gina, my oldest," Andy said from behind him.

Matt looked at Andy, as if he had been caught stealing. "Oh shit, Andy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…. I didn't know that was Gina… I mean, she's just beaut—um, you know, a very um, well, she looks like she's really nice," he finished lamely, his face flaming red.

Andy grinned at him. "It's O.K. Yes, she is beautiful, and really nice, and if she wants to go out with you, fine by me. You're a good guy, and it's not like you're related by blood or anything."

"Wow. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Andy replied, snickering. He wholly approved of Matt and Gina dating, Meant he didn't have to worry about her. In spite of his tendency to blurt out the first thing that came into his head, Matt was a great kid, with a good head on his shoulders. He was stable and steady – a lot like his mother, in other words. Gina could certainly do worse, and probably had, if Andy knew more about her dating history – and he wasn't sure he wanted to.

He went to the door and welcomed his daughters in with hugs and introduced them to Matt. Andy could feel the electricity in the air as Matt shook Gina's hand and he and Carolyn exchanged sidelong glances.

Sharon came into the den. "Hi, girls. I'm so glad you could make it this afternoon. We should be ready to eat shortly." She saw Matt and Gina staring at each other and glanced at Andy. He just raised his eyebrows. A smirk crossed her face and she returned to the kitchen.

"I think Gina and Matt are giving each other the eye," Rosie said to Sharon in a low voice."

"Kind of looks that way. We'll just have to see," Sharon whispered.

Carolyn made her way into the kitchen and sat down. "Smitten with each other," she said, in her matter-of-fact way. "Just smitten."

Sharon and Rosie chuckled at that. "Matt's O.K.-looking, even if he is my brother," Rosie said.

Carolyn laughed at that. "Yeah, he'll do in a pinch. I've been talking to my Aunt Eileen - that's Dad's older sister - and she said she there were times when my grandmother thought she was going to have to put a fence up to keep the girls away from Dad."

Sharon laughed richly at this. "No wonder he's so conceited. I hear he was quite a Romeo in his younger days."

"That's what Aunt Eileen said. Well, after the dermatologist finally helped him get rid of his acne. And gee, what a gift. I got it, too. Gina's never had a zit in her life. Me? Everywhere. The doc finally put me on long-term antibiotics and steroids and that helped. I haven't had a really bad breakout in about three years."

Sharon turned and smiled kindly at Carolyn. "It's so wonderful that doctors can help kids with that now more than they used to. It used to be all they did was say, 'don't eat chocolate and grease and wash your face.' But now, they can actually do something. Your Dad said he had a real problem until the dermatologist got involved."

"Yeah, and I was noticing the other day, if you look along the edge of his face, like from his temple down, he's still got some scarring from it. So, you need any help, Sharon?"

"Thank you, but you and Gina are our guests. Rosie and I have it."

"Smells delicious," Carolyn answered.

"Thanks," said Rosie. "We've got eggs, bacon, home fries, French toast and Mom's doing a veggie omelet for Andy, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah. But I think I'm going to turn it into a frittata and bake it in the oven. Andy's boss, Chief Johnson, is from Atlanta, and she decided we needed some cast iron cookware, so after a trip home, she brought us back a set. A wedding gift, she said. But I have to admit – it's wonderful. I'd never used it before, but it really is good for stovetop-to-oven dishes." Sharon took the egg mixture in the iron skillet on the stove and slipped it into the oven. "There. Now it just needs to brown on top and we're done."

Rosie went into the den. Andy was sitting in the recliner, pretending to watch the Dodgers, but really watching Gina and Matt as they sat on the sofa, talking. She grinned at him. "Mom said we're nearly ready to eat."

When they were all gathered at the table, Andy's eyes widened at the sight of all the food. "Jeez, Sharon. Who were you expecting – the entire First Army?"

She rolled her eyes. "Thank you. I'm so glad it looks good," she said pointedly.

"It looks great. I just wasn't expecting so much of it," he answered.

"I knew I needed to make enough for six," she replied. "So dig in, guys. Don't let it get cold."

Dishes were passed and plates were filled, and for several minutes, there was silence in the dining room as everyone ate.

Andy eyed the bacon wistfully, but didn't take any, although the fragrance was enough to tempt a saint, he thought. Even a vegetarian one. "Everything's fantastic, hon," he said. "Thanks for cooking."

"Oh, you're welcome. I don't get to do this often and once in a while, I enjoy it," she answered.

"And we appreciate it. And to show our appreciation, Matt and Gina and I are going to clean up. Right, guys?" Andy looked over at the two lovebirds.

"Sure, Andy. No problem," Matt answered.

After dinner, Andy set Gina and Matt to washing the pots and pans while he unloaded the dishwasher and put the leftovers in the fridge.

* * *

><p>When Andy went into the den, Sharon was on the sofa with a book, so he picked up the paper and started reading. Sharon looked over her glasses at the young people. "We're old fogeys, so this is what we do. But our old board games are still here, if you want to do that. Rosie's Wii is at her place."<p>

"That's cool," Matt said. "You guys up for some cutthroat Scrabble?" But he looked at Gina.

"Bring it on, big man," Gina said. "I'll kick your butt from here to Pasadena."

Sharon looked at Andy. "Wonder where she gets that competitive streak, do you suppose?"

"Same place Matt gets his," Andy shot back with a smirk.

"Ouch. O.K. You win that round. I walked right into that one."

"Mmm-hmm. You sure did," he replied.

"The Scrabble Dictionary is on the shelf by the TV," Sharon said.

"Yeah, we'll need it to keep Matt honest," Rosie answered. "Just warning you guys. He makes up words and comes up with these definitions that he swears by. So we have the 'Matt rule.' If one of his words looks funny, it's an automatic look up. We don't give him the benefit of the doubt, anymore."

The four were in the middle of the game, when Sharon looked up from her book. "Did you hear something, Andy?" she asked.

He listened. "No, but then I was watching the kiddos play Scrabble. What did it sound like?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe it was just the wind blowing the screen door on the back."

"Probably," he answered.

Carolyn excused herself to the bathroom and Rosie studied the board and her letters, looking for the highest score.

"Any year now," Matt said, teasing her.

"Put a sock in it, Matthew," she replied.

"No thanks."

Then, "Sharon, you're such a creature of habit. You still keep your service weapon in the same place you always did."

Five faces turned in shock to see Bob Raydor standing in the kitchen doorway. He was holding Sharon's gun in one hand and what looked like an assault rifle in the other.

Andy motioned to Rosie, Matt and Gina to stay where they were. "What the hell are you doing here, Raydor?" He was thinking, but had left his service weapon in the glove compartment of his car. His personal gun was in the bedroom, in the nightstand.

"Just paying a friendly visit to my family. Oh, but I can't see my family anymore, thanks to that no-contact order. You can see my family, Flynn, but I can't. That just doesn't strike me as being very fair. And it looks like you're having such a nice family evening at home. I don't get that anymore." He spied Gina and went over to her, tilting her chin up with the barrel of Sharon's pistol. Andy's blood ran cold, but he wouldn't risk moving. "And who might this be? Matt, are you dating someone? Of course, I wouldn't know, now would I?"

"Leave her alone, Bob," came Sharon's cool tones. "She has nothing to do with this."

"And she's such a lovely thing, too. You have good taste, Matthew."

Gina was motionless, but Bob could see the anger and hatred burning in her eyes.

"Mom said to leave her alone," Matt answered.

Carolyn had opened the bathroom door about the time Andy spoke to Bob. His back was to her, but she could see what was happening, so she closed the door as quietly as she could, and locked it. She turned on the vent fan, to mask her voice, and crawled into the bathtub. She got her cell and looked through the numbers. Andy had copied all the squad's phone numbers into her phone. She hit a number and when it rang, prayed for an answer.

"Chief Johnson," came Brenda's voice.

"Chief? This is Carolyn Flynn. We're all at Dad's house, and Sharon's ex came in. He has guns and he's got Dad, Sharon, Gina, Matt and Rosie all in the den. I'm in the bathroom with the door locked. I don't think he knows I'm in here."

"Oh, my Lord. Has he fired? Is anyone hurt?"

"I don't think so. I haven't heard any shots, and they're all sitting where they were when I got up. Please, Chief Johnson, help us!"

"I will, Carolyn. I will. You just stay right where you are. We need someone we can contact."

"I'll put my cell on silent, or you can text me."

"All right. We'll be there as quick as we can, I promise."

Brenda ended the call and filled Fritz in while she was looking for her other shoe. Finding it, she shoved her foot into it and got on her cell and called Provenza. "Lieutenant? We have a hostage situation. Lieutenant Flynn and Captain Raydor and their children are at their house and Raydor's ex showed up armed. Call the squad and tell them we're meeting at the corner closest to the house. Run lights and sirens until you get within a few blocks and then cut them. We'll need to go in on foot. I do not want to spook this guy."

"On it Chief," was all Provenza said before he ended the call.

Brenda was in her car and called Pope. She gave him the preliminaries and said, "I want you to scramble the hostage team and SWAT. We've got two senior officers in there!"

"Right. I'll have them meet you there."

"Silent running, Will! _Silent_. We can't let this guy know we're coming."

"I'll take care of it."

Brenda drove through the late afternoon sunlight, wishing she could shoot Bob Raydor herself.

"Bob, leave Gina alone, all right? You want to talk to me, here I am. But don't involve people who have nothing to do with this," Sharon said.

Bob finally turned away from Gina. "But I'm not supposed to talk to you, am I, Sharon?"

Clearly, the man was in the throes of a psychotic break, Sharon thought. "You're here, so please, sit down and let's discuss this."

As soon as Bob turned to Sharon, Gina took off running down the hall.

Bob looked up and took a shot at her with Sharon's pistol. "I didn't SAY you could leave, you little bitch!"

Gina's cry of pain nearly killed Andy, but he hung on to his police training by a thread and remembered that both he and Sharon had to remain calm if they wanted a chance to get their kids out of this alive. Bob had two weapons and both were semi-automatic. They were unarmed.

"You do what I _tell_ you to do. Is that clear?" Bob yelled.

"It's clear, Bob," Sharon said. "Now please sit down."

Andy didn't know where his wife found that cold nerve, but he was glad for it.

Bob looked down the hall. "Where did she go? Come back here!" he screamed.

"Let's concentrate on the situation at hand, shall we?" Sharon said, hoping Gina had been able to go for help, and wondering where in the world Carolyn had gone to, but glad she wasn't right here.

"Stay quiet if you can, Gina," Carolyn said. Gina had been near the bathroom door when she fell and Carolyn had opened it and helped her inside while Bob yelled at the others. She was thankful it was Gina's arm Bob caught and not her legs. She silently checked the room and found a first aid kit underneath the sink. Gina's upper arm was bleeding and Carolyn looked in the kit and found bandage pads, a gauze roll and tape. She taped the pad on to her sister's arm and rolled the gauze around it to help keep pressure on the wound.

"Sharon's ex is a nutcase," Gina whispered.

"No joke. Chief Johnson and the squad are on their way. I had my phone with me," Carolyn answered.

"Thank God."

"Let's get in the bathtub. Might be a little protection from flying bullets."

Both girls huddled in the tub and prayed the cavalry would arrive, posthaste.

* * *

><p>"All right, people," Brenda was saying. "This is tricky. We know Bob Raydor is armed and the Captain and the Lieutenant are not. Carolyn said Raydor found the Captain's service weapon and had a larger gun, also. So he's definitely got the upper hand right now. Lieutenant Tao, I want you in communication with Carolyn. Text her to see what's going on. Detectives Gabriel and Sanchez, you two and I are going to see if there's any way we can get inside that house. And Lieutenant Provenza, I'm counting on you to manage the SWAT activities. They're not going to like it, but you know the layout of the house and can advise them. You can also remind them that this has to be carried out as silently as possible. If Raydor knows we're out here too soon, he might just shoot everyone in the house and then himself. And I'd like him apprehended alive, if possible."<p>

"Right Chief," Provenza said.

"Check your weapons. Full loads, gentlemen."

Sanchez shoved a clip into his weapon and slammed it home. "I'm good, Chief."

"O.K. And before I forget, everyone wired up so we can hear each other?"

Thumbs up all around and Brenda nodded. "Let's see what we can do, then."

"Good luck," Provenza said. "And good hunting."

Brenda smiled grimly at this and she, Sanchez and Gabriel took off silently for the house.

Carolyn's phone lit up. It was Tao. "Situation?" was the text.

"Gina shot in the arm, but OK, in bathroom with me; no change in the den," was her reply.

Tao relayed the information to Brenda and texted back, "We're here. Stay where u r."

"Will do." Carolyn showed Gina the text and they kept their uneasy vigil.

"Bob, sit down. We can talk about this, really," Sharon said, her voice soft.

Every instinct Andy had was telling him to jump this creep, but Sharon had been trained in hostage negotiation. He'd taken a class, but his first impulse was shoot first, negotiate later. Oh, if he'd had his weapon, the coroner would already be examining Bob Raydor's dead body. So he sat, hands clenched into fists, his mind going over where his girls were and frantically wondering if Gina was all right.

"I don't want to sit down and talk, Sharon. We're a little past that," Bob said.

"No, we can. I want to hear what you have to say. I was just scared when I took out that no-contact order. I can have it dropped, no problem."

"You'd do that?"

She nodded. "Sure. We can work this out. Rosie, Matt and I don't hate you, do we?"

"No, Mom. Absolutely not," Rosie answered. She glanced at Andy. He was on the edge and that edge was razor-thin. He had the same look on his face he had when he came charging into her apartment after Red Hunter paid her a visit. If Bob Raydor let his guard down for a second, Andy was going to beat him senseless.

Brenda, Sanchez and Gabriel were looking over the back side of the house.

"Chief, there's a garage door entry, the door to the backyard, and on the other side, a deck entrance to a long hallway," Sanchez explained. He had helped with some of the bathroom renovations after Sharon's accident, and was familiar with the house.

"Tactical advantages?" Brenda said.

"Well, the garage door entrance opens into a mudroom that opens into the kitchen, but it's not visible from the den. Probably how Raydor got in. The hallway entrance comes out into the den, and might be right in his line of sight. Same with the back door. It's in the line of sight of most of the kitchen."

"So it's the garage entrance. All right. What about the kitchen layout?"

"There's an island. Gives us some cover," Sanchez replied.

"Are we not waiting for SWAT and the hostage team?" Gabriel whispered.

"Only if necessary," Brenda replied. "When they come in, we lose the element of surprise, and I don't want to do that if we don't have to. Detective Sanchez, do you have the smoke bombs?"

"In my pocket," he answered.

"O.K. We go in through the garage and assess the situation. From there, we may need to wing it, so be ready for anything."

"You got anything in mind, Chief?" Gabriel asked.

"Maybe. But we'll have to see what's going on in there, first." She put a hand to her ear.

"Chief, I finally hacked in to Captain Raydor's security system. They have an inside camera. The Captain and Lieutenant Flynn are on the sofa. Her children are sitting on the floor. And as you know, the Flynn daughters are in the hallway bathroom. Raydor is standing in the middle of the floor, his back currently to the kitchen, and he's pointing the Captain's weapon and what looks like a- a- TEK-9. Lots of firepower."

Brenda nodded. "Thank you so much, Lieutenant Tao. That is tremendously helpful." She looked at her detectives. "Did you two get that?" They nodded. "Let's do this."

They crept inside the garage, and into the mudroom. They could hear voices, first Bob Raydor, then Sharon, speaking quietly. The words weren't discernible, yet. Each darted in turn behind the kitchen island. Andy saw them, but fortunately, Bob's attention was trained on Sharon and he didn't see Andy's glance to the kitchen.

"You have to understand, Sharon. I don't like being denied. It's not right. Why are you with this ape, anyway? I have culture and education. What's this guy got except an advanced degree in being an asshole?"

"I told you we can talk about the no-contact order. So let's do that."

"Yeah. Let's talk about how you sent your personal thug to return my flowers and serve the order. I was humiliated in my office, Sharon. I was disciplined by my partners! You don't do that."

"It was badly handled and I apologize," she said.

"Oh, you _apologize_, and what does that mean? What currency is that? How does that restore my standing in my law firm?" He was getting closer to Sharon.

Brenda looked up at the island. A large pitcher of ice water sat on top. She poked Gabriel and mimed him reaching to knock it over, then to Sanchez, throw the smoke bomb. She counted on her fingers, one, two, three, then pointed at Gabriel. He swept the pitcher off the island. It shattered with a crash and water and ice went everywhere. Then, the smoke bomb hit the middle of the floor, sending up a white plume that filled the room.

At the crash, Bob spun, hyper-aware, but no longer pointing the guns at Sharon. Rosie saw Andy come off the sofa like a tightly coiled spring unwinding. In one motion, he had Sharon off the sofa and threw her to the side and attacked Raydor from behind. A spray of bullets hit the kitchen floor, causing Brenda, Sanchez and Gabriel to cower behind the island. Heedless of the smoke filling the room, Andy slammed Raydor into the brick surrounding the fireplace, holding him in place with his body weight, and smashing his hands into the brickwork until he dropped the guns. Then, he pushed Raydor into the wall again, screaming. "That was my _daughter _you shot, you piece of shit!" By the time Sharon recovered enough to get the smoke bomb out, and Brenda and company got to Andy, he was methodically pounding Raydor with his fists, in every place he could reach. Raydor's nose was broken, and his face was a wreck.

"Lieutenant Tao, get yourself and Provenza in here on the double!" Brenda yelled into her microphone. It might take all four of the squad's men to restrain Andy.

"I should have done this to you the first time you bothered my wife. Maybe you'd have gotten the point!" Andy growled.

Brenda got the weapons out of reach and ran to the bathroom to check on Carolyn and Gina.

Sanchez and Gabriel grabbed Andy. "Stand down, Lieutenant! STAND DOWN!" Gabriel yelled. Tao came into the house at a dead run, and surprisingly, Provenza was jogging not far behind. Tao knew from experience how difficult it was going to be to get Andy calmed down, but he gamely plunged into the fray, putting his arm around Andy's neck, pulling him backward. Provenza got between Andy and Raydor.

"Andy! It's over! It's over!" he yelled. "Stop! Do you hear me? STOP! That's an order, Flynn!"

Sharon went to them. "Andy, we're fine. It's time to stop fighting." Her quiet voice seemed to penetrate the haze of Andy's rage and he stopped. His daughters came out of the bathroom and they flew to Andy. Provenza nodded at his colleagues and they released Andy. He gathered his daughters in his arms.

"Are you O.K.?" he said.

"Fine, Dad," Carolyn answered.

"We're good – Dad," Gina said.

"Thank God," Andy rasped and looked up to see Sharon and Rosie. He held out his arm to them and embraced them, also. He held his hand out to Matt, who took it.

"It's all right, Andy. We're all fine," Sharon said. "Gina, we need to get you to the ambulance for that arm."

"Yeah."

"I'm charging you with police brutality!" Bob gasped.

Brenda went to him. "You do that. You do just that, and it's all on video, how you invaded this home, how you stole a police officer's service weapon, how you violated that no-contact order, how you shot at an innocent girl. You file those charges, you go right ahead. I guarantee you the jury will see everything. You're just damn lucky I didn't go ahead and turn my back for about 10 minutes until Lieutenant Flynn ran out of steam. I felt like it, let me tell you." Her voice was tight and cold. Bob turned his head and was silent.

"Chief, can you take our statements at the hospital?" Andy asked.

"Of course, Lieutenant. And then you can come back here. Morning's soon enough for the rest of this," Brenda answered. "I'll meet you there."

"Thanks, Chief."

Brenda smiled at Andy and patted his shoulder. "All right. Can someone clean up that mess on the kitchen floor? And call the SceneCleaners. The Lieutenant and the Captain will want their home habitable by the time they get back from the hospital. I want those bullets in the kitchen floor documented by SID, too. Get Mr. Raydor medical attention if he needs it, and then please make him comfortable in a cell." She looked around. "I hate to ask, but can someone in the family stay here to supervise the cleaning?"

"I will," Rosie said. "No problem."

"Thank you Rosie," Brenda answered. "There's the ambulance. Lieutenant, if you want to escort your daughter outside?"

"We'll follow in your car," Sharon said.

"O.K.," Andy replied. The family left the house, except for Rosie. She went to Bob.

"What? I'm not supposed to see my family?" he spat.

"We haven't been your family in years," Rosie answered. "Child support was a burden, you never took part in our lives. You didn't care about us except as a tax deduction. You talk about Andy and how low-class he is. Well, even when he was drinking, he never missed a child support payment. He tried to keep in contact with his girls, but their mother didn't want him to. And there you were, a respected attorney, but you had to be prodded into paying a sum you could well afford. You couldn't be bothered to spend time with your children when you could be screwing some bimbo. Spare me the rhetoric, Bob. Andy's been a real dad to me, and the best husband to Mom."

"So you hate me."

"No," Rosie said. "I don't feel anything for you. Except maybe pity that you did this to yourself. You can't blame this on anyone but yourself. Enjoy the prison time." She turned to go down the hall to change her clothes. When she came out, Julio and a uniform were cleaning the glass shards and water from the floor. "Thanks so much, Detective Sanchez, and Officer Archer."

"You're welcome, Rosie," Julio said. He surveyed the room. "What a mess."

"Yeah, Bob's MO has always been to leave confusion and chaos wherever he goes. I'll get the rest of this and wait for the SceneCleaners. It was so nice of Chief Johnson to make sure someone called them." A van pulled up. "Looks like they're here, now."

"You're going to be all right?" Julio asked her.

"I will, and thank you all for everything."

He grinned at her. "We take care of our own. We're just glad you guys are all O.K."

"I know. And I'm glad." She went to the front door and greeted the cleaners. "Thank you for getting here so quickly. Start with the blood on the carpet, if you don't mind." She looked at the carpet where Bob's nose had bled.

"Yes ma'am," one of the women in the group said.

"Officer Archer will stay outside the house until your family gets back," Julio told her.

"That's very kind, Detective."

"Oh, call me Julio," he said with a smile.

"O.K. And thanks again."

"Don't mention it," he answered and left, too.

Rosie watched the workers clean up yet another mess Bob Raydor had left behind. Only this time, Rosie thought, he wasn't going to get away scot-free as he had so many times before. But she knew Andy would be facing an FID inquiry and she hated that her sperm donor was responsible for it. She sighed heavily and made herself comfortable on the sofa as she waited for her family to return.


	8. Chapter 8: One Ex Down, how many left?

**A/N:** Once again, thanks for all the reviews! This chapter is pretty dialog-heavy, but I hope it all pays off in the end, at least as far as plot development goes, wherever it goes - not sure yet :) I do refer to the "Hostile Witness" episode here, briefly. Anyway, you never know what you might find, so stay with me, here, O.K.? And please, please review! Those reviews make my day and motivate me! And I 'm **always** open to suggestions, if you have something you'd like to read. Just IM me and let me know! So on with the show and **R&R**!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: One Ex down, how many left?<strong>

"Looks like your arm is going to be fine," the doctor said to Gina. "It was a through and through, didn't hit anything but skin on its way out."

"Hurt like everything, though," she answered.

"I'm sure it did. It was a nine millimeter Glock, right? Yeah, I know it hurt. I'll give you something for the pain for a day or two. Just keep it clean. GSWs don't usually get infected, but if you notice any unusual redness, heat or drainage around the wound, have your doctor see it."

"All right." She looked over at Andy. "Mom's gonna have a cow."

Andy took a deep breath then let it out. "I can't think about that right now," he said. "I'm just too thankful you guys are O.K." He looked to Sharon. "People our age aren't supposed to have this much excitement in our lives."

She chuckled. "We're cops, Andy. Comes with the territory."

"Why don't we go become cops in some little town in, I don't know, Vermont? Somewhere the biggest crime is somebody stole some hubcaps or something?"

"You'd go crazy in a month, Dad," Carolyn said. "Nothing to do."

Andy harrumphed, "Nothing to do sounds good right now."

"It does, you know?" Sharon said. "But maybe we're just due for a couple of days off."

"Next time I take any time off, I'm not even taking my phone with me," Andy replied.

"You think you'll get in trouble for beating the crap out of Bob? Not that he didn't deserve it, but I hate to think you'd be under the gun for that," Matt asked.

Andy shrugged, and was about to answer, when Sharon said, "I doubt it. That jerk had my service weapon and a semi-automatic assault rifle. That meets the criteria of deadly force. Andy was well within his rights to do what he did. He neutralized the threat. End of story."

Matt nodded. "But they'll do an investigation, won't they?"

"Probably, but a police officer defending his family in his own home? Justifiable force, case closed," Sharon replied. "In fact, if Chief Johnson had shot him right between the eyes, it would have been justifiable force. But Andy beating the daylights out of him is a far more satisfying conclusion, I have to say," she said with a smirk.

"Even if it's not strictly by the book?" Andy teased.

"By the book only applies when I'm wearing my badge, dear. I was in my home, being a wife and mother. It wouldn't have bothered me in the least if you had bashed that sonofabitch's brains out – except for the mess it would have made," she said serenely. "He's had it coming for years. Although as a living human, he'll have to face jail time, which is even better."

That brought a round of laughter and Matt said, "That's the nice thing about you, Mom. No ambiguity."

When they finally got back home, Rosie was waiting on them. "The SceneCleaners did a great job, Mom. Except for the holes in the kitchen linoleum, you'd never know anything happened. They even got the blood out of the carpet."

Sharon looked around. "They did do a good job. I'm impressed. I don't suppose anyone is hungry. If you are, you know where the food is. I think I'm going to soak in the tub and then go to bed. It's been an exciting day."

"Understatement of the century, Mom," Rosie said.

"Mmm-hmm. We'll just say the stress is getting to me."

* * *

><p>"Will, what can I tell you? Bob Raydor had not one, but two loaded weapons in hand, and neither the Captain nor the Lieutenant were armed. Why are you kicking up such a fuss?" Brenda was clearly frustrated.<p>

"I don't want to give Ronald Goldman any more ammo than he already has," Pope said, scowling.

"Ammo? _Ammo_? Bob Raydor had all the ammo! That's why Andy was justified in doing what he did! Hollywood's FID officer cleared him as soon as he looked at the reports! If FID cleared him, then why continue his administrative leave? He wasn't even on duty when this happened!" Brenda's face turned crafty. "And Will, you're always yowling about the 'message we're sending.' Well, what kind of message does it send to the public, let alone the rest of the LAPD, if they think we don't have their backs if they're defending their families and homes?"

"Brenda, I hear it took all four of the men on your squad to get Lieutenant Flynn away from Bob Raydor!"

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "And just what would you have done if it had been _your _daughters he took a potshot at?"

"That's not the point, Chief Johnson!" he snapped.

"It _is_ the point, Chief Pope!" Brenda replied with equal fervor. "That's exactly the point! California state law clearly says any force up to and including deadly force is acceptable in that kind of situation. It would have been if Andy had been on duty. So why is it different because he wasn't? Would we be having this conversation if Detective Gabriel had shot him? Well, if it had been Gabriel, of course we wouldn't. But me? Or Detective Sanchez? Oh, we'd have been in hot water just like that!" She snapped her fingers and then put her hands on her hips. "You're wishy-washy, Will Pope. And you're allowing your political aspirations to get in the way of your first responsibility – which is to your officers and the people of Los Angeles!"

"You don't seem to have that problem," he replied, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"I don't. That's because I'm interested in the truth, and in protecting my people, and the people who pay my salary, who are the citizens of L.A. I'm not a politician, and I don't give a hang for petty politics, especially when it gets in the way of allowing my people to do their jobs!"

"You're impossible."

Brenda made a derisive sound. "You're sayin' that because you know I'm right, Will. You know this will never fly, and you'll lose a ton of support if you do it. It will be perceived as the Chief of Police not backing up his people and in essence, saying that they don't have the right to protect their families. The press will crucify you."

"They don't have to know."

"Oh, they'll know. Now that idiot Ramos is out of here, the LA paper has a couple of real bulldogs working the police beat. They will find out. It won't be from me, but they'll know all about it in 30 minutes."

"I think we've gone as far with this conversation as we can, Chief Johnson."

"No, we haven't. If you go ahead and continue Andy on administrative leave, I'm going to the Mayor. You know I don't want to go over your head, and normally, I don't use those tactics, but in this case, I will. I'll go to the mat on this one, Chief Pope. And don't think for one little, tiny second that I won't!" She turned and flounced out of his office.

As the door slammed, Pope smacked his hand on his desk. He knew Brenda was serious. He knew as soon as the leave order came down, she would be in the Mayor's office in no time, and since her interview for the position of Chief, she had an "in" with him, and they knew it. She didn't exploit it, but Pope knew she would in a heartbeat if it came to her team. "Dammit!" he cursed. It always irritated him when she was right.

* * *

><p>When Andy walked into the murder room, Sanchez hailed him. "Look, there's the famous Mick boxer, Andy 'Give 'em Hell' Flynn!" The rest of the squad laughed.<p>

Andy rolled his eyes. "You guys are such a riot. You oughta be on TV."

Tao spoke up, "Any of us would have done the same thing, Andy. You know that."

"Yeah, I know. I just wish I'd had about two more minutes with Raydor. Castration was definitely next."

"That would have been cool," Sanchez replied. "You could have taken them down to that taqueria in South Central, had them fried up and Captain Raydor could have eaten them in front of him."

Gabriel's face twisted in disgust. "That is sick, Julio. Just sick."

"But it would have been highly instructive," Provenza said with a chuckle. "You think the Captain would have done it?"

Andy thought about this and grinned. "Yeah. She'd have done it. No question."

"Done what?" Brenda asked as she came into the murder room.

"You don't want to know, Chief, trust me," Provenza said.

Brenda scowled at him, but said, "Well, Lieutenant Flynn, you've been officially cleared by FID, so you're back on full duty." She went to her office and he squad distinctly heard her mutter, "And one of these days, the back of Will Pope's head is going to meet the business end of a hatchet, and I'll be holding the handle!"

"Trouble in the Vatican," Provenza quipped. "Hey Flynn. Chief needs a background on that robbery suspect and my computer has crapped out, hopefully for the last time. Can you run it?"

"Sure," he answered, and took the sheet Provenza handed to him. He was busy with the check when Pope came into the murder room.

"Chief Pope! What brings you to our humble environs?" Provenza said. Andy gave him a cursory glance and went back to his work.

"I thought I needed to address the situation with Lieutenant Flynn," he answered.

"What situation?" Provenza asked. "FID cleared him. Is there a problem?" The man's tone suggested there shouldn't be one.

Andy stopped typing and looked up. He stood slowly. "Well, Chief. _Is_ there a problem?" His voice was ice and Pope repressed a shudder. He was starting to think this was a bad idea. But dammit, he was Chief of Police! He commanded this squad, and every officer in the LAPD! He straightened his shoulders.

"Well, Lieutenant Flynn, I certainly don't want Ronald Goldman to have any more grounds to file anything else against the LAPD, or Chief Johnson, in particular."

"Neither do we," Andy said shortly.

"Fine, but your actions on Sunday afternoon could have put us in a precarious position."

"How so, Chief? I was under the impression I have the right to protect my home and my family." Andy was Not. Happy.

"Of course, of course, but surely the threat was neutralized before you beat Bob Raydor to a pulp."

"All due respect, Chief, but you weren't there."

Pope shifted his feet nervously. "No, I wasn't, but there were other options."

Provenza harrumphed, "Like Chief Johnson, or Sanchez or Gabriel shooting him? _Those _were the other options. Raydor got out of there with his miserable little life. That's a pretty damn good outcome, if you ask me."

"Obviously, we didn't want someone to die, but there is still the taint of unnecessary force."

"Oh really?" Now, Andy sounded downright menacing. "Unnecessary force? That scumbag had Captain Raydor's Glock in one hand and a TEK-9 in the other. Both were fully loaded and ready for action. We still have the bullet holes in the kitchen floor. He broke into our home, held us at gunpoint, threatened us, and took a potshot at my unarmed _daughter_! I didn't know where my other daughter was at that point, and in case you hadn't noticed, she has cerebral palsy and mobility issues. So, my little girls, one wounded and one who doesn't walk so well were in the crosshairs of an idiot carrying not one, but two semi-automatic weapons and I used unnecessary force? Chief Pope, you wouldn't recognize unnecessary force if it bit you in your uptight ass! What the hell was I supposed to do – invite him to join in the Scrabble game and give him a cup of tea?" Andy's tone dripped venom.

"You're insubordinate, Lieutenant," Pope snapped.

"So what are you gonna do? Put me on desk duty again? Or administrative leave? Gonna write up a nice little disciplinary letter and put it in my files? You do that, and I swear to God, I'm turning in my badge, and I'm gonna bring the biggest lawsuit against you that you've ever seen! You think you've got problems now? Wait until I go to the press with how you told a ranking officer with 25 years on the force that he couldn't protect his family from an armed nutjob! How do you think that's gonna play, Chief? Something tells me the Mayor wouldn't like it too much. And doesn't your job depend on him?"

"Don't threaten me, Lieutenant."

"That's not a threat. It's a stone cold promise. Know what else? If I resign, Captain Raydor resigns, too. We discussed this. We're both old enough to collect our pensions." Andy's tone was as hard as his expression.

"In fact," Lieutenant Tao spoke up, "If this situation forces Lieutenant Flynn to resign, you lose the whole department. Provenza and I will collect our pensions, too, and Detective Sanchez has a standing offer from a private security firm."

"You tried that once to save Chief Johnson," Pope said.

"And as I recall, it worked," Tao answered.

Provenza looked wryly at Pope. "So, because you're so concerned about saving your own ass, you lose four ranking officers with a combined total of over 100 years on the force, and a damn good detective."

"And me." That was Brenda, who had been standing in her doorway. "My parents need me in Atlanta, anyway," she said. "The Mayor is going to be very, very unhappy with you, Chief Pope."

Somehow, Will Pope always forgot the Major Crimes team was handpicked because they were good at their jobs, and that included being able to think on their feet. "Now, let's all settle down. I didn't intend to start this kind of war. I just wanted to – to urge, well, prudence. And discretion when dealing with these kinds of situations."

Andy rubbed the bridge of his nose and shook his head, eyes closed. "No words," he said, sat at his desk and ignored the Chief altogether.

"Prudence and discretion. Point taken," Provenza said. "Now, Your Holiness, would you kindly get the hell back to the Vatican so we can get some work done around here?"

Pope looked to Brenda in outrage, but all he got was a wry grin and shrugged shoulders. He raised a hand, then let it drop and stalked out of the room.

Raucous laughter followed his exit and Brenda came into the room, her eyes dancing with mischief. She attempted a sober expression as she said, "Now, you characters really do need to have more respect for the Chief of Police."

"Why?" Sanchez said. "He doesn't have any respect for us. He's either treating us like we're the criminals or like we're little kids. As long as he looks good, he doesn't give a damn about what happens to the rest of us. Pardon my language, Chief."

Brenda nodded at him. "Well, we just have to keep doing our jobs to the best of our ability. I know I can count on all of you to do that. And Lieutenant Provenza, have you put in a call to the tech people about your computer?"

"Three times. I think it's time for a new one. God help us," he replied.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Brenda answered. "I'll ask Buzz to give them a call. Sometimes they only listen to him and Lieutenant Tao."

Andy's phone rang and he answered it. He talked for several minutes and then hung up with a grin.

"What's up, Flynn?" Provenza asked.

"That was the Captain. She knows someone who knows someone in Bob Raydor's office. He was trying to get one of his former partners at his ex law firm to take on a police brutality case. She said none of them would touch it," he chuckled.

"Well, thank goodness for _that_," Brenda said.

"Yeah, but the best part is the word is out on Raydor. There's not a lawyer in the state who will take his case. He's even having a hard time finding a lawyer for his criminal case! He's either gonna have to plead guilty or get one of those rabbits from the public defender's office to take his case!"

"Serves him right," Sanchez growled.

Brenda looked around. "Where's Detective Gabriel?" she asked. He had disappeared. The squad looked at each other.

"Calling Goldman. Bet me," Andy said.

"Well, not a lawyer in the state would take a police brutality case on Lieutenant Flynn – except that nasty, evil little toad!" Brenda spat.

Provenza shook his head. "What the hell is Gabriel's problem, anyway?"

"There's something we don't know, but I intend to find out, if all possible. Lieutenant Flynn, was Captain Raydor calling from her office?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Think she might know something?"

"I think she does, but I don't think she realizes she knows it. Would you be kind enough to give her a buzz and let her know I'm on my way to see her?"

"Sure, Chief," he answered and picked up the phone.

"Thank you!" she chirped and left the office.

"Yeah, Lieutenant Flynn'll give Captain Raydor a _buzz_," Sanchez said, with a wolf whistle. Tao and Provenza laughed at this.

Andy finished his call. "You're jealous, Julio. You should be. Don't judge a book by its cover."

"No matter how buttoned up it is," Provenza shot back.

"I'm sayin' you assholes are just jealous, that's all."

"So Captain Raydor is a real hot tamale, huh, Lieutenant?" Julio teased.

"You wish you knew, Julio. You only wish you knew." Andy turned back to his computer.

* * *

><p>"Captain Raydor, I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you had a minute to chat," Brenda said, as she walked into Sharon's office.<p>

"Of course, Chief. Please sit down. What's on your mind?" Somehow, since Sharon and Andy had married, tensions between Brenda and Sharon had eased considerably. They might never be close friends, but they were certainly on friendly terms with each other.

"I wanted to pick your brain about David Gabriel. He was completely professional the other day at your home, but after the Chief left today, we noticed he had, as well. Probably to contact Goldman. Do you have any idea why he's leaking information? You don't suppose he's dirty and Goldman is _paying_ him, do you?"

Sharon sighed. "If it were only that simple, we could probably catch him in the act. No, I think this is a matter of principle."

"Principle? How principled is it to leak information like this?" Brenda was indignant.

"I suspect Gabriel sees it as the lesser of two evils, or has some such reasoning in mind. You two have had your disagreements in the past, haven't you?"

"Yes, but I thought we had resolved them, and they were just that: in the past. I've disagreed with everyone on my squad, and the rest aren't doing this. Why David?"

Sharon rested her chin on folded hands. "That's the great puzzle, isn't it? My guess is – and this is just a guess – that he somehow feels he will be well positioned to advance if you're out, and especially if you go out under a cloud."

"But doesn't he realize that, as a known snitch, that no one in the whole LAPD will trust him?"

"He's counting on no one finding out – not for certain, anyway," Sharon replied.

Brenda snorted. "He ought to know that even the suspicion is enough in most departments. He didn't walk a beat long enough to understand that, apparently."

"Apparently," Sharon agreed. "But I do have an idea that might get him out of your murder room at least part of the time."

"What's that?"

"I know you don't keep up with other programs in the department" she held up a restraining hand at Brenda's immediate bristling "which is understandable, considering how busy Major Crimes has been recently, and that it is a complex division to manage." Brenda settled back into her chair. "But, there is a new training program, just established. It's a mentoring program. Officers with the rank of Detective are riding along with uniforms who have applied to take the Detective's exam, or who are up for promotion, that sort of thing. They're evaluating the officers as to their suitability for other divisions, giving them pointers, etcetera."

"But wouldn't that be more suited for more experienced officers?" Brenda asked.

"Normally, yes. But Chief Johnson, our upcoming ranking officers are now a _lot_ younger than we are, much as we hate to admit it. Detective Gabriel is closer to their age. He grew up in a less-than-affluent neighborhood. Several of these young officers are African-American and from the same kind of neighborhood. The principles he's clinging to would be beneficial and well-served by mentoring younger officers. He's _too_ principled to attempt to teach them to be snitches. I suspect he's quite conflicted about it, anyway, and this might serve as some sort of absolution, or penance, or something of the sort. What do you think?"

Brenda replied, "That it sounds an awful lot like we're rewarding him for being a rat fink."

Sharon chuckled. "In one way, yes. But it does two things in the process: since it is sort of a position based on merit, it deflects his suspicion that you may know he's the leak. Second, it gets him out of the murder room for a couple of days a week. And you remember how Pope giving Taylor that promotion to Commander got him off your back. It was basically an empty rank, but it salved Russell Taylor's considerable ego and it shut him up."

Brenda acknowledged this with a nod. "True." She gave a short laugh. "I'd like to ask David where his principles were when he beat the snot out of Roger Stemple that time."

"What? I didn't hear about that!" Sharon exclaimed.

"You weren't supposed to. We handled it in-house, in the department, but that was one of the cases that disgusting little worm Goldman brought up, as an example of how I bend the rules to suit myself."

Sharon pursed her lips. "What exactly happened?"

"Well, he –Stemple – lawyered up and I left the interview room. It was stupid because I knew David was about to snap, but I didn't think he would actually do what he did. Anyway, he essentially beat an admission out of Stemple and that's how we found Ruby Williams' body. But I didn't see Stemple again until we got back downtown. But when I saw him, I sent David home and just worried all night about what to do, when Commander Taylor offered to have Robbery/Homicide book him while we investigated those two older disappearances. Well, Commander Taylor wasn't particularly careful about not letting it get out what Stemple was being booked for, so he got beat up again. He waived his rights and I got the confession. Then he hanged himself in his cell. Goldman essentially said I hadn't made sure he would be in isolation, but my signed order is in the case file, and I signed it before he was sent to his cell. I just naturally assumed the sheriff would have him in isolation when they transferred him to county, since that's standard procedure."

"So what happened to Gabriel as a result of this?"

"Taylor and I talked it over and he got a 10-day suspension without pay and a letter of reprimand. Since Stemple was dead, there was no one to trigger an FID investigation."

Sharon shook her head. "I knew Russell Taylor was devious, but I didn't know he was _that _devious! Some gratitude for you where Gabriel is concerned, though. You could have hung him out to dry and you didn't. Normally, that inspires a certain amount of loyalty. Tell me, Chief Johnson, how many times have you pulled one of your squad members out of the fire?"

Brenda grinned. "Several times, and for every one of them but Lieutenant Tao. Including your lovable husband on more than one occasion."

Sharon snickered. "I'm aware, believe me. But you know, surely, that you may not ever have an answer about Gabriel's motivations. Unless you catch him red-handed and he chooses to tell you."

"Oh, I'll catch him. I'll catch him eventually. I want to know, but mostly, I want to watch him squirm while he tries to talk his way out of it. Yes, I'm just that vindictive. Call me a bad person for it, if you want to."

She grinned at Brenda. "I'd never do that, Chief Johnson. Lieutenant Flynn said the next thing on his mind for my ex-husband was to castrate him. Detective Sanchez approved of the idea, he said, and advised that the Lieutenant should have taken the testicles to some taqueria to be fried and I could have eaten them in front of Bob. And I'd have done it. With plenty of Tapatia hot sauce, while telling him that was the hottest he'd ever been. So we all have our dirty little secrets."

Brenda wrinkled her nose in disgust, then the expression turned into a grin and then to a chuckle. "I've had a couple of exes who inspired the same feelings in me," she answered.

"Before I decided that big, crazy Lieutenant of yours was the man for me, there were one or two instances when I'd have seriously considered doing that to him," Sharon said with a genuine chuckle.

"That makes two of us, Sharon. When he's not saying something completely inappropriate in the murder room..."

"He's saying something completely inappropriate at a crime scene, or to a suspect, or whatever," Sharon laughed out loud. "But he really is quite wonderful."

Brenda nodded. "I know he is. I've never seen him happier, and I'm glad. Truly, I am."

"And you threatened to scratch my eyes out at one point if you thought I hurt him."

"Well, yes, but as Fritz says, my maternal instincts are directed toward my squad, my cat and him. Not toward a child." Her tone was a little rueful. "But I've taken enough of your time. I need to get back upstairs. Thank you for hashing this out with me."

"I don't know that we reached too many conclusions," Sharon said.

"Maybe not, but sometimes just talking it out helps."

"You're welcome, for whatever good it did."

* * *

><p>Brenda heard angry voices as she approached the murder room. "What now?" she said. Andy couldn't buy a break today, she thought, as she walked in and saw Carla yelling at him.<p>

"She was shot! That freak shot my child! My _child_!" Carla was screaming.

"She's fine, Carla. We got her to the ER and the freak is in jail," Andy answered, his voice quiet.

"After the Lieutenant beat the crap out of him too, I might add," Provenza said.

"I don't care! Don't you ever go near either of my children again! You obviously can't be trusted to look after them!"

"They're my daughters too, and they're adults. I've told you once Carla: you don't get to decide when I see them anymore."

"I'll get a restraining order against you!"

"You can't do that," Brenda said. She wasn't going to allow Andy to be verbally assaulted in her murder room again today.

"What do you mean?" Carla turned on Brenda.

"If the girls want to get an order, they can. But you can't ask for one on their behalf. As Lieutenant Flynn reminded you, they are adults. They have to ask for one themselves."

"I'll tell them they'd better, then! I don't want this Neanderthal around my babies again!"

"Carla, I'm going to tell you nicely to leave Lieutenant Flynn alone when he's at work and to walk out of this room now, under your own steam. Andy won't do it, but I'll be glad to get a couple of uniforms to escort you out."

"You wouldn't! You can't! This is about my children!" She was bordering on hysteria.

Sharon hustled through the door about that time. Tao had called her about the time Brenda left her office. Her green eyes were blazing and she was breathing hard. She had taken the stairs because she didn't want to wait for the elevator. "Leave – him – alone," she said between breaths.

"And I have a couple of words for you, too! How dare you leave your gun where your nutty ex could find it and shoot my baby!"

Sharon took a couple of deep breaths. "I won't even dignify that with an answer. Obviously, you've never been in a similar situation. I'm sure Chief Johnson has already asked you to leave. I'm afraid I'm going to have to second that."

"Fine." Carla turned back to Andy. "If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to make sure you never see my children again!" She stalked out of the room.

Sharon went to Andy and put her hand on his shoulder. He had collapsed in his chair. He looked at her, his eyes lost and haunted. He patted her hand distractedly, stood and started for the door.

"Where are you going?" Sharon asked, concerned.

"To HELL, I hope!" he yelled and the door shut behind him.

Sharon and Brenda looked at each other and Sharon started for the door.

"Don't go after him, Captain. Give him a couple of minutes and I'll go talk to him, all right? I've had a lot of experience in dealing with crazy women, and with Flynn when he's totally pissed off," Provenza said.

She nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant. I appreciate it."

"Any time, Captain."

"Captain, Fritz actually bought me a coffeepot I can operate. Would you care for a cup?" Brenda asked.

"That sounds wonderful, Chief. Thank you."

"Come on into my office."

Provenza found Andy in the gym. He had shucked his coat, tie and shirt and stood in trousers and T-shirt, beating the stuffing out of a heavy bag. He wasn't wearing gloves, either, and his already battered knuckles were bleeding. With every hit to the bag, he cursed fluently.

Provenza waited until Andy ran out of breath and paused. "Enough, Flynn. You're beating your hands all to hell."

"So?" Andy said, panting.

"So, you might need to do some work this week. Sit down, Andy. Drink some water." He handed him a bottle and a towel.

"How do I fix this one, Provenza? How the hell do I fix this? Pope's got my ass in the crosshairs – again. Carla's out for my blood and wants to keep me from seeing the girls. Does she think I _wanted _Gina to get shot? She's as bat-shit crazy as Bob Raydor. Just in a different way."

Provenza shook his head and sat down on the bench next to his friend. "Carla's scared. She's a mom and her kid was in danger. You had the advantage of being able to do something about it, but she didn't. And she's the type who has to blame somebody. You know that. I know that. So she's blaming you. And you know that's crap about restraining orders. The girls love you and they know you weren't responsible for what Raydor did. They're not gonna drop you. Pope's a blowhard. As long as Brenda Leigh is the chief of this division, we're all right, just because Pope knows she and the mayor like each other."

"Yeah," Andy answered, but he didn't sound convinced.

"Get dressed, go home and relax. Nothing going on around here. I'll call you if something comes up. Chill out in the recliner and maybe put some moves on that hot wife of yours."

"Hot wife?" Andy said incredulously.

"O.K. How can you avoid the issue? Sharon's hot. She's too old for me, of course, but she's hot. Always has been. It's just that before you two started dating, she was SuperBitch. But now, she's all right."

Andy laughed in spite of himself. "God, Provenza, you are such a dirty old man. And a horny old goat in the bargain."

Provenza spread his hands and grinned. "Being a dirty old man is what makes life worth living, my friend."

"Unbelievable."

"Yeah. And put something on those knuckles."

Andy nodded. "I will. Tell the Chief I've gone, willya?"

"Sure thing. Get outta here."

Andy toweled his face and hair off and grabbed his clothes. He'd go home and watch a baseball game. Even if the Dodgers got creamed yet again, it was still better than being in this hell-hole.

* * *

><p>"You know, Andy, I never realized how much my feet used to hurt until I stopped wearing those ridiculous stiletto heels. They make my legs look great, but they were tormenting my feet." Sharon flopped down to the sofa beside her husband.<p>

"Well, there's the news flash of the year," he said dryly. "How many times did I see you nearly fall and bust your cute little ass when you wore those things?"

She rolled her eyes. "What a …" she began when Andy started oinking at her and she laughed. "I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with you."

"And if we're lucky, you never will," he cracked.

"How you feeling?"

Andy shrugged. "I'm still pissed at Carla."

"I'm sure you are. Heard from the girls?"

"From both of them. They're not mad at me, but they're both irritated with their mom for being such a hyper-hysterical bitch to me."

She smiled. "I knew they'd be all right. Matt has called me three times to check on Gina. He's talked to her once, but wanted to make sure she's all right."

"Think anything might come of this?"

"Who knows? I'm one for letting nature take its course in things like this. We'll see."

"No doubt."

"I had a fascinating conversation with your Chief this afternoon," Sharon said.

"About Gabriel?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Well, about his motivations, anyway. I'm still not sure either of us has a lock on why he's doing this."

"Give the Chief time. She'll figure something out," Andy answered.

"I'm half afraid she will. I hear you and the gang had to drag out the simultaneous resignation tactic on our lovable Chief of Police today. I didn't know Carla's appearance was the second time you got roasted over the coals today."

Andy groaned. "Pope would be a decent administrator if he also wasn't such a politically ambitious dick with ears!"

Sharon laughed at the description. Trust Andy to get right to the point. "Pope has lost his perspective. Brenda doesn't want to go to the mayor, but I might. I have less to lose."

"I don't want you to lose anything," Andy said.

"Neither do I, particularly, but sometimes you have to take action. If that idiot had this much backbone, he'd have told DDA Garnett to take a flying leap when he wanted to show Philip Stroh that evidence. Pope slammed Brenda for monitoring Stroh, but he's the one who caused this fiasco to start with. I went back and looked at the murder book on that first case and the interview tapes afterward. Brenda was on to something."

"Damn straight she was. But that weasel Pope didn't have the balls to back up his people. He only does it if he thinks it will be good for his career – or when he thought Brenda might still sleep with him." Andy sighed. "But, if there's any cosmic justice, one of these days, Stroh will be shoveling shit in hell."

"So true. You know, I thought for a long time that after Brenda moved to LA, she and Pope continued their affair. I was actually surprised to find out she never would consider rekindling that flame. Just because I had gone for so long thinking they had."

"The Chief has a strong moral compass – but she's true to it, not someone else's. She told me once that she broke it off with Pope when she found out he was married. She wasn't going to carry on with a man she knew was married. It wasn't right, she said. So lying for his own benefit is a way of life for him. Do something for me, babe. You can tell her this where we can't. Tell her she's used up any backing she had from Pope. He's not going to have her back anymore. She's on her own and so is this division. He is not going to back anyone unless it makes him look good on television. We have no hand anymore. We have no protection, except each other. Make her understand that. She's not gonna like it, and she'll try to tell you it's not true, but you have to make her realize that's what's going on. We've talked about it when Saint David wasn't around. And I don't believe he's as secure as he thinks he is, but he can swing on his own rope, for my money. But every division in the LAPD is on its own, unless we take up for each other. That's just how it is, now. Provenza says we've got some protection from the mayor's office, but I'm not sure that's true."

Sharon nodded slowly and looked sadly at Andy. "You're right. The department was headed in a good direction for a while, but you're right. No one is going to get any help from our chief unless it's advantageous for him."

"What is it they say about power corrupts?"

"And absolute power corrupts absolutely. That's it," Sharon replied. "But I don't know that Brenda is going to have as much trouble with the concept that Pope is no longer backing her up as you think she will. She knows it, or at least is suspicious of it."

"You think?"

She nodded. "I do. When he was appointed acting Chief of Police, Pope started distancing himself from Brenda. I think maybe she thought things were salvageable when he took her side when she arrested the police commissioner's wife, but there was just no way around that. My sources tell me the mayor told Pope that if Brenda made an arrest, she had his support, that we couldn't have public officials and their wives drinking and driving – particularly not in the LAPD."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Andy answered.

"But after this mess with Stroh, she knows she can't count on him anymore. And even though you and I know I'm a by-the-book kind of officer, you cannot argue with her results. She gets people off the street and those confessions hold up in court. And she's gotten confessions from some bad people: the I-10 killer, Roger Stemple. And you know, looking back, that whole Turrell Baylor case was a complete screw-up. Offering immunity to that piece of garbage was such a mistake. But that ball came from Pope's court, too."

Andy leaned back on the sofa. "Isn't it funny that, in nearly every case that's come back to bite Brenda, the outcomes were results of Pope's bad decision-making?"

"Now that you mention it, yes. Something to remember, certainly," Sharon answered, her tone thoughtful.

Andy looked sharply at her. "What's on your mind, you sexy lady police officer?"

"What do you mean?"

"You've got that look on your face. The one that makes me nervous."

She chuckled. "I can't believe anything I might do or say could make you nervous, love."

"Try holding a beanbag gun and see how nervous I get."

Sharon leaned in to kiss Andy. "I'd never shoot you between the eyes." She paused a beat. "Only between the legs."

"What? You wicked witch, you are so gonna pay for that!" Andy exclaimed, pinning Sharon to the sofa and tickling her, while kissing her neck at the same time. She squealed, but Andy was intent on getting a little payback. He brought his mouth to the hollow of her throat and nibbled that spot that made her squirm every time.

"Andy! This is one of my good suits!" she managed.

"So let's get rid of it." He slid the blazer off her shoulders and raised her up long enough to remove it and tossed it to the coffee table. He nearly ripped off his own T-shirt and resumed kissing Sharon.

He was so mercurial, and where he got the stamina to pin her down like a hormone-driven teenager, Sharon had no idea. He could take it achingly slow, but tonight was obviously not one of those times. She knew the day's frustration was fueling his ardor and since he wasn't going to drink, he needed an outlet. Good thing she didn't mind, she thought, running her hands down the warm skin on his back, feeling the familiar scars and imperfections.

"Help me out here, babe, or you're losing that top," he said, and Sharon fumbled for the buttons of her blouse and could feel Andy unzipping her trousers and tugging the blouse away from her.

"Thank God you're wearing sweatpants," she growled in his ear as she found the waistband and started sliding it down over his hips. She could feel and see the hardness underneath his shorts and as always, it thrilled her to know she could provoke this reaction in him.

"Always glad to oblige," he panted as he unfastened her bra and it went the way of her top and trousers. He buried his face in her fragrant skin, hands finding her breasts and teasing them.

"What are we – a couple of kids to be making out on the sofa?" Sharon teased.

"Yeah. What's stopping us?" he answered, before taking a nipple in his mouth and worrying it until Sharon moaned and twined her hands in his hair, holding him to her body. One hand found her center and he was touching her, then slipped in a finger and Sharon arched her hips to him.

"Andy, please, don't tease me. I want you inside me. Now."

She didn't even have her panties off. He just pushed the material aside and was moving inside her body, holding her hips and urging her to move with him, telling her he wanted her and how he was going to make her scream, in that X-rated language that set her on fire. It was crude, yes, but sexy as hell when it was Andy Flynn growling the words in her ear.

He cried out with the force of his climax, and cuddled Sharon to his chest. "Sorry about that. Give me a minute and I'll take care of you."

"Take your time. We've got all evening," she whispered into his skin.

"How about I wash your hair for you? Maybe scrub your back?"

"Sounds like a plan."

When Andy was a little steadier on his feet, he sat up, then swept Sharon into his arms and carried her into the master bathroom. He stripped her of her panties and then drew her into the tub. He turned on the water and wet her hair with the shower nozzle, reveling in it as he soaped it for her and rinsed it. They bathed each other, Andy making Sharon giggle as he washed between her toes. Then he took the body oil that matched that expensive cologne he loved, warmed some in his hands and stroked it over her skin, paying extra attention to her breasts and finally, he dried her hair with a towel, then carried her into the dark bedroom, where he threw back the comforter and laid her on the bed, then stroked his hands up her thighs and lay between her legs.

At the first touch of his mouth on her heat, Sharon whimpered and moved to give him better access. In the darkness, where he couldn't see her, where she couldn't see him, she felt freer to let go, to tell him what felt good, as his tongue swept over her, drawing moans of ecstasy from her. Finally, she could feel her climax gathering and as it pounded over her, the moans turned to screams and she thrashed under Andy's mouth, then went completely limp.

He kissed his way back up her body, chuckling smugly, but Sharon didn't have the energy to take him to task for it. All she could manage was a "Thank you, sweetheart," and to twine her arms around him, bringing her body into full contact with his. She'd clean up and so forth later, but right now, it was enough to have Andy's arms around her, his legs tangled with hers, his hands on her skin. "I do love you," she whispered, before they both fell asleep.

* * *

><p>The key turned in the lock and Gina walked inside the house. "They must have gone to bed, Matt," she said into her phone. She went into the den and her eyes widened. "Oh, my God," she said, seeing clothing everywhere.<p>

"What is it? Everything O.K.?" he said.

"Y-yeah. I was just, you know, surprised."

"At what?"

"There's like clothes on the floor, the sofa."

Gina heard Matt squeak and he said, "You mean like Mom and Andy were, you know?"

"Getting busy? Apparently," she answered.

"Damn. Well, they didn't think about you coming by, and I mean, they're adults and all, and they're married people, but … well, _damn_."

"Yeah, the whole parents having sex thing."

"Aren't they a little old?" Matt said.

"Obviously not. Looks like the first act was on the sofa, too. Oh hell, that's Dad's _underwear _on the floor!"

"Anxious, huh?"

"Yeah. And Sharon's bra is on the coffee table." Gina thought Matt should be as freaked out as she was.

"Shit! Why'd you tell me that? I won't be able to look either one of them in the face!"

"Me either. I'm just going to leave now. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure Gina. 'Bye."

"Bye." She walked out, locking the door behind her.

In the dark bedroom, Sharon and Andy, awake for a little while, had been talking softly. The door was open and they could hear Gina's side of the conversation. When the front door closed, they both broke into uncontrollable giggles.

"So much for us being teenagers," Andy snickered.

"I know it. Matt has always been weird about that, anyway. But really..." and she started laughing again.

"They have to know that even old people like us do this, too."

"Yeah, but you know how it is. Parents and all."

They started laughing again and after mutual "I love yous," both went back to sleep, this time for the night.


	9. Chapter 9: The Bell Has Tolled

**A/N:** Finally, the last chapter (and a short epilogue to follow). This is set in the gap between "Last Rites" and "Armed Response." My next fic will probably be in the "Major Crimes" category, but we'll see. This may not be what happens to Goldman on the show, but IMHO, it's fitting. Kind of gets away from the "ex" theme, but that's where it went. Happens sometimes. :) Please, please, R&R! (Oh, and thank you, John Donne! :-D)

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: The Bell has Tolled<strong>

"Andy, wake up. Andy. Andy, you need to wake up." Sharon's voice was soft, but urgent.

He rolled over. "What's going on? I just got to bed what, an hour ago?"

"Little longer than that. But this is important. Provenza's on the phone and you need to talk to him." She handed the cell phone to Andy.

He glared at her, but took the phone. "Yeah, Provenza, this had better be good."

"Well, it's not. Got a call from Fritz Howard. Willie Rae passed away."

Andy came awake. "The Chief's mom? Oh, my God! What happened?"

"They're not sure. Probably her heart. Chief went into the bedroom this morning to wake her up and she was gone."

"Oh, no. They'd been so worried about Clay, and now this. Oh, God." Andy was sitting on the side of the bed. Sharon was in the doorway, sadness written all over her face. She could be the one getting that phone call from her sister, she knew. Her heart broke for Brenda.

"Yeah," Provenza said. "So when you get up and get dressed, we need to go to the house, see if they need anything, or if there's something we can do."

"Sure. Yeah. No problem. See you there." Andy handed the phone to Sharon. "What a hell of a thing," he said.

"I know. It's awful. She's been through so much. Andy, I'm really afraid of what's going to happen to her! She's so close to her parents!"

He sighed. "Yeah. This is going to hit her really hard. She's gonna remember all the times she didn't spend with them, that she did spend working a murder. I know. I've been there."

Sharon shook her head. "Such a sad thing. So many arrangements to be made, to get the body back to Georgia, the funeral... It's overwhelming."

Andy nodded grimly as he found fresh clothes and dressed. No use in putting on a suit. He noticed Sharon was already dressed. "You going to work?"

"No. I'm coming with you. As strange as it sounds, I suppose I'm Brenda's closest female friend."

"I guess you are, come to think of it."

* * *

><p>Fritz answered the door. He looked haggard. "Sharon, Andy. Thanks for coming."<p>

"Sure. How's the Chief?" Andy asked.

Fritz shook his head. "Not even here, really. She's just sitting next to her dad, staring off into space. I think Clay's way more worried about her than upset about Willie Rae. Not that he's not upset, but he's really concerned about Brenda."

They walked inside and saw Provenza and Sanchez already there. They spoke and went to see Clay and Brenda. Sharon sat next to Brenda and took her hand.

"I cannot begin to tell you how sorry we are," she said softly.

Brenda looked at Sharon blankly. "Thank you," she answered mechanically.

"Clay, we're so sorry about this," Andy said to her dad.

He nodded. "Thank you, Andy. We appreciate it. Didn't expect this, for sure. I was the one who was supposed to die first! I guess life never turns out like you think it will, does it?"

"Not usually, no." Andy looked at Brenda, then back to Clay, who shrugged a shoulder.

"Brenda Leigh found Willie Rae. She just didn't wake up."

Andy could only imagine what that must have been like. He didn't want to. "When are you going back to Atlanta?"

"In two or three days. We both wanted an autopsy, just to see what happened. I think your man, what's his name? Morales? He's doing it. Brenda Leigh didn't want anyone else."

"I can understand that. Dr. Morales is a good guy," Andy replied. "Look. If there's anything Sharon or I can do. Anything. I don't know what it would be, but anything, you know, we're here for her."

"And we appreciate it so much. I know Brenda Leigh didn't have much of a social life. She never did. But the way you folks just rally around her – well, it means a lot to me. It meant a lot to Willie Rae, too."

David Gabriel came in about that time. He came to Brenda and knelt in front of her. "Chief, Commander Taylor sends his condolences and said he'll take care of anything that comes along. So don't worry about work. And Chief? My church –we're all praying for you."

Brenda nodded and managed a smile. "Thank you so much, David. That means a lot," she whispered.

"A whole lot, David," Clay intoned. "Can't get any better help than that."

David rose and looked at Andy, who just spread his hands, and nodded in the direction of the kitchen. The crew was convened in there, with Tao, who had arrived with two casseroles and a cake from his wife.

"So what do we do?" David asked.

"We get the Chief through this the best way we can, and we do our jobs," Provenza said. "She'll be in Atlanta for a while. She needs to come back to see we've held it together."

"Well obviously," Andy said. "Where's Pope, anyway?" he asked.

Provenza sneered. "His Holiness had a prior engagement," he said primly, "but plans to drop by for a visit later today."

"Just as well," Andy growled. "The way he hung the Chief out to dry over that priest case. Did you hear him? 'You don't need this complaint on your record, especially if you have to start circulating your resume.' What kind of crap was that?"

Provenza looked concerned. "When did he say that?"

"Before he left this morning. I was just coming around the corner and heard it. Didn't say anything, but what the hell?"

"Yeah. What's he trying to do, anyway?" Sanchez said.

Provenza heaved a huge sigh. "I think he's telling our Chief she has officially worn out her welcome in the LAPD. We'd better be ready for anything, people."

Tao nodded. "Pope's not going to have a renegade in the department, if he can help it. Her results don't count if he's not looking good."

David said, "Well, he _is_ the chief. He has to keep his public persona in mind."

"Gabriel, don't defend that jackass," Provenza snapped. "He'd let you swing the in the wind too, and don't think he wouldn't, if he thought it would make him look better in front of the mayor. None of us is untouchable and that includes _you_, Saint David!" The older man turned and walked away, leaving Gabriel looking puzzled.

"What was all that about?"

"Everybody's upset. Provenza really liked Willie Rae," Tao said, trying to calm the waters.

* * *

><p>The squad took turns staying with Brenda and her family until they went back to Atlanta. They made phone calls, handled those calling with condolences, went to the grocery store, took care of the cat – whatever needed doing.<p>

Fritz and Clay had gone to the funeral home to make the local arrangements to have Willie Rae's body flown back to Atlanta. Andy was with Brenda. She was a little more connected, but was still distant. Andy knew she needed to grieve, but didn't know how to help her do it. So, he just ran errands and did what needed to be done.

He had taken out the garbage and loaded the dishwasher when Brenda called him into the den.

"Need something?" he asked.

"I can talk to you, can't I, Andy? _Really_ talk?"

"Sure, Chief. Always. You know that." He sat next to her on the sofa.

"I-I know, Andy. Tell me again how long you've been sober?"

"Over 15 years."

"That's a long time."

"Grateful for every day of it."

"I'm sure. And you'll never tell anyone what we talked about?"

He shook his head. "Not unless you say I can. Take it to the grave."

"I thought so. You must have heard a lot of stories about how people should have done things and didn't, right?"

"Every single meeting. We've all got that in our lives."

"And how do you deal with it? What do you do?"

Andy thought about this. "You accept it for what it is. You make amends if you can. If that's not possible, you turn it over and forgive yourself. Otherwise you go nuts." He looked keenly at Brenda. "What happened that started you on this?"

Brenda's eyes were troubled. "Well, the night before Mama… Anyway she said she had something to tell me, but I thought I just _had_ to get downtown to talk to that man! I was going to talk to her when I got home the next morning. Just as soon as I got home, we were going to talk, and now I can't! And I'll never know what she needed to tell me! And how many times did she need to tell me something, but there was always something more important I thought I had to do! Andy, I'm just a horrible person! Horrible! How do I forgive myself for _this_? How?" She collapsed into tears.

Andy understood the crashing remorse she felt. He'd been there. He put his arm around Brenda's shoulders and she turned to him and sobbed into his shirt.

"Cry it out, Brenda. I know you need to. You need to grieve," he said softly. Fritz had said that, after the initial shock of finding her mother, Brenda had been stony-faced. Andy knew she needed to cry. He grabbed a box of tissues from the side table and had them ready. He remembered when Brenda sat with him outside the hospital, holding him as he cried, wondering if Sharon would live through the night. He could do no less for her.

Clay and Fritz came in and saw Andy holding Brenda, who was still weeping, nearly hysterical.

Clay's brow wrinkled. "Finally broke, did she? Well, she needed to. Now I can do my own grieving," he said and went to the back bedroom and closed the door.

Andy looked up at Fritz. "She was just talking about missing her mom, and then…" his voice trailed off.

Fritz nodded. "I'm just glad you were here with her. I'd have hated for her to have been alone."

"Yeah, me too," Andy replied. "Brenda, come on. Calm down, now. Fritz is here. He wants to talk to you." Andy gently disengaged Brenda's death grip on his shirt and motioned to Fritz to come around to sit beside her.

"Thanks, Andy," he said.

"No problem, Fritz."

At home, Andy flung himself into the recliner. "Damn. What a hell of a day," he said.

* * *

><p>Sharon came home from work and Andy filled her in. She sighed. "You said it was going to happen. They're leaving for Atlanta tomorrow?"<p>

"Yeah. And God, I hope nothing breaks for the squad for at least a week."

"How long will she be gone?"

Andy shrugged. "Not sure yet. I guess it depends on how her dad is doing. That's going to be a hard homecoming."

"No doubt," Sharon agreed.

Andy stared into space. He was back a long way. "When Ma died, it was before the airlines were so hard-assed about bereavement flights and I got one for that night." His voice was so quiet, Sharon had to sit next to him to hear. "Eileen met me and we went to Ma's house. You know, it wasn't really real to me until I walked into that house and Ma wasn't there – and I knew she would never be there again. Hardest damn thing I've ever done. There was a cup on the side table by where she sat all the time, and it still had some tea in it. It was the last thing Ma ever did, was drink her afternoon cup of tea. I felt like somebody had hit me in the head with a baseball bat. I sat in Ma's place on that ugly sofa and cried like a little kid." Andy's brown eyes were dark with emotion, and moist with remembered tears. "And when Brenda goes into that house, where the last time she was there, Willie Rae was alive and happy and healthy, and she's going to see her mother's things, just there – like they're waiting for her to come back – it's gonna be hell. I feel for her, God is my witness, I do."

Sharon took Andy's hand. "That's something I've always loved about you, Andy. If someone is going through something you've been through, you just put yourself in their place and you truly feel their pain. Not just a cliché, but you do. It's part of what makes you such a good cop."

He turned to her. "How's it all gonna end, Sharon? We were talking about it. I don't think Pope is going to let Brenda stay. He's gonna insist she start looking elsewhere. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"All we can do is wait. Something is going to shake loose. I can feel it coming. And I'm this close to finding out who the department leak is. I can taste it."

"What are you thinking?"

She smiled at him. "When I have something more concrete, I'll tell you. Right now, I'm keeping my counsel on this. I've got some thinking to do."

"Fair enough," Andy answered. "I'll wait."

"Everyone should be back on regular shifts tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Sharon grimaced. "I had a talk with Pope this morning. He said once the squad is back that, if you catch a case and have anyone to question, I'm to lead the investigation."

Andy sat up. "You? What about Taylor?"

She smiled wryly. "Pope said he had some 'reservations' about Taylor's loyalty."

That got a big grin from Andy. "He should have some reservations about yours."

"I'm better at hiding it," Sharon replied. "But I really have had it with Will Pope. I know what the LAPD is facing, budget-wise, but he's allowed the position to go to his head, which is why he wasn't on the short list for chief to begin with. I'm sure the mayor was concerned that's what would happen."

"So why is he getting the job?"

Sharon shrugged. "You know Pope can be very charming and ingratiating when he deems it necessary."

"He's a backstabbing prick is what he is," Andy snorted. He had told Sharon about the conversation between Pope and Brenda.

"I couldn't agree more. But he's a backstabber with a title, so we have to step carefully."

Andy grinned. "Chief has a good saying for that. 'Give him enough rope and he'll hang himself.' I just want to be there when the trapdoor drops."

"Careful, Andy, or you'll be saying something you need to make amends for."

"Speaking of which, Julio told me I ought to try going to confession. Can you believe that?"

Sharon chuckled. "It couldn't hurt you, Andy."

"I had enough of that when I was a kid."

She leaned to kiss his forehead. "Confession is good for the soul. Haven't you heard?"

"So they say."

* * *

><p>The next several days were quiet. Then, Julio's desk phone rang. "Detective Sanchez, Major Crimes," he answered. He spoke for several minutes, then thanked the caller and hung up. "May have something," he said.<p>

"What's up?" Provenza asked.

"I'm not real sure. That was the Abbess at the Divine Cross Monastery. One of the sisters died, but she doesn't think it was from natural causes."

Andy snorted. "What makes her an expert? She a pathologist or something?"

"Well, she's been the Abbess for 30 years, and she's seen a few people pass away," Julio answered.

"So what makes her think it's not natural causes, Julio?" said Provenza.

"She said Sister Justine was only 55, never had any health problems and just collapsed out in the garden. Abbess Clare said it just didn't look right to her."

Tao asked, "Did they call 911?"

"Yeah, but she was gone by the time the EMTs got there, and the coroner said it looked like natural causes to him," Julio explained.

"But she's not buying it," Gabriel answered. "So what does she want?"

"Well, she's getting the diocese to pay for an autopsy, so I guess we'll see what that turns up, first."

"Does Morales have the body yet?" Tao said.

"Abbess Clare said she would let us know when he does."

Provenza heaved a huge sigh. "Call your wife, Flynn. I cannot believe we're having to deal with the Archdiocese _again_! Not now. Not right after that priest got killed."

"Me either, but what can you do?" Andy said as he picked up his phone. "Hey. Yeah, we've got a possible murdered nun on our hands. Abbess said she doesn't believe the woman died of natural causes."

Sharon's sigh was audible. "Oh, great. Just great. But I'm going to hold off on notifying Pope until we see what Dr. Morales has to say. I'm not going to stir this up unless there's actually something worth stirring."

"Yeah, no doubt. I'll let you know when Morales gets the body."

"Do that, please."

Sharon hung up her phone, took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. "Why do I even come to work some days?" she muttered.

"O.K., Doc. What's the word?" Andy asked the pathologist.

"Well, apparently, the Abbess was telling the truth. Sister Justine did not have any major health problems. That's not unusual for nuns, though. They do generally live healthy lives."

"So what's your ruling, doctor?" Sharon said.

Morales shrugged. "I can't make one yet. I'll have to get a preliminary tox screen back, which will take a day or two. As of this moment, I cannot say definitively it was a homicide, but I can't say it wasn't, either. I'm not sure how she died. One of those cases that frustrates my kind."

"So what should we tell Chief Pope?" Sharon asked.

The doctor grimaced. "That it's undetermined, and I'll know more in a couple of days."

"Thank you, doctor." Sharon and Andy left the morgue and pulled off their gowns. "Now what?" Sharon said.

"We wait. Julio is talking to the Abbess upstairs, so let's find out what the old lady has to say."

"Watch that 'old lady' crap," Sharon said. "One of these days, you'll be married to one."

"Yeah, but you'll still be hot," he replied with a leer.

"Abbess Clare, I'm Captain Sharon Raydor. I'm sure you've gone over this territory with Detective Sanchez, but please tell me why you feel Sister Justine did not die of natural causes."

The woman looked shrewdly at Sharon. "What does your doctor say?"

"He hasn't said anything, yet. But I am very interested in your thoughts on this."

"We have papal enclosure. That means we stay in our monastery. We are mostly self-sufficient. We do have a handyman who comes in to make repairs we cannot make. We don't see a lot of people we don't know."

"Forgive me, Abbess Clare, but wouldn't that mean a smaller likelihood of one of your sisters being murdered?" Sharon said.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" The nun pushed up the sleeves of her brown habit. "But our enclosure also means we know our sisters very well. We know when something is going on – and when it's not. There's something else you need to know about Sister. She was one of our extern sisters – ones who do our errands outside the monastery. She bought the groceries, drove sisters to the doctor and so forth. She also was our contact for our apostolate. We make Rosary chaplets, lacework and other handcrafts to sell to help support ourselves. She managed our small booth in the crafts mall two days a week. So, she was out and about more than the other sisters."

"Do you think she might have run into someone who wanted to harm her?"

The woman shrugged. "Usually, the habit lets people know we're not a threat to them, but you never know. Not in this day and age."

Dr. Morales walked into the electronics room. "Buzz, is Captain Raydor wearing an earpiece?"

"Yes."

"Can you ask her to meet me outside the interview room? I may have found something."

"Surely." He turned on the microphone and made the request.

Sharon's eyes widened and she nodded. "Mother Abbess, if you'll please excuse me, I'll be right back." She went outside and met Morales. "What did you find?"

"I knew something wasn't quite right, so I went back and looked again at the stomach contents. Whether by accident or on purpose, Sister Justine was poisoned."

"Poisoned? How?"

"Mushrooms. I'd guess someone maybe picked an amanita mushroom by mistake, cooked it for lunch and Sister Justine was unlucky enough to be the one who got the most. Ask the Abbess if any of the other sisters have had upset stomachs."

"All right. Thank you, doctor." She went back into the room. "Abbess Clare, have any of your sisters reported having upset stomachs today? Or recently?"

The Abbess pondered the question. "Not today, but now that I think of it, it seems like Sister Justine has had an upset stomach well, rather often, just in the past few months."

"Someone was poisoning that woman," Andy said, in the electronics room. "But why?"

Buzz shrugged. "I guess even nuns can make enemies," he said.

In the interview room, Sharon had come to the same conclusion. "Who does your cooking, Mother Abbess?"

"Well, the sisters often take turns." Comprehension dawned. "One of my nuns? Merciful Lord," she said, crossing herself.

"Of course, we can't say for certain that's what is going on, but our pathologist told me just now he strongly feels that Sister Justine died from eating a poisonous mushroom."

Abbess Clare's face drained of all color. "Are you quite certain?"

Sharon nodded. "Unfortunately, Dr. Morales was very definite. Did a name come to mind?"

The Abbess pressed her lips together, then said, "I'm afraid so. But before we go any further, I must call the Archbishop and tell him about this."

Provenza shook his head as he looked over at Andy. "A poisoning nun. What's next?"

"We probably don't want to know," Andy replied and Provenza nodded.

"Detective Sanchez will show you where you can make a call in private. Chief Johnson's office, Detective?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered. "Please follow me, Mother Abbess." He held the door open for her and for Sharon, who nodded at him and went to the electronics room.

"What a mess," were her first words.

"It's murder," Andy replied.

"No kidding. I'll have to call Chief Pope. I don't think there's any doubt now that we're dealing with a murder. I doubt Sister Justine just picked up that mushroom out of the ground and ate it."

"Accidental?" Tao said.

"Possibly, but her reaction was a little strong for it to be accidental. She has a suspect in mind," Sharon answered. She went back into the murder room, to Andy's desk, took a deep breath and called Pope. "Chief Pope? Captain Raydor. We may have a murder. It's a nun from the Divine Cross Monastery. The Abbess has spoken with us and is calling the Archbishop now. I'm almost certain it was one of the other sisters."

She could hear Pope sigh. "Damn. Well, all right, Captain. Let's do our best to work with the Archdiocese on this, shall we?"

"Of course, Chief Pope," Sharon replied icily and hung up. "I am not Brenda Leigh Johnson," she said to the phone. "I think we can handle this one."

Julio and Abbess Clare came out of Brenda's office.

"Captain Raydor, the Archbishop has asked me to conduct an inquiry in my house, with his assistance and see if I can find out anything. If I do, I will certainly notify you immediately."

That wasn't what Sharon wanted to hear, but she knew they would have to do it this way to satisfy Pope. "All right, Abbess Clare. That's fine. I'll give you my card. Please, please call me if you find out anything, or if any of your sisters suddenly becomes ill."

The Abbess took Sharon's card, then paused. "Any of my other sisters?"

"Well, if it is one of your nuns, the woman could be mentally unbalanced and might attempt to harm someone else." Perhaps more of Brenda had rubbed off on Sharon than she thought.

This had clearly not occurred to the Abbess. "I will be extremely vigilant, Captain. Thank you."

"Thank you for coming to speak with us, Abbess Clare. We do appreciate it. Detective Sanchez will escort you downstairs."

When the woman left the murder room, Sharon turned to the crew assembled. "Well, here we are. I know we all want to get this over with. Lieutenant Tao, can you possibly find a list of sisters at the monastery, and see if you can get enough information for background checks? Detective Gabriel, please look at the monastery's last annual financial report. A call to the secretary of the Archdiocese should get that for you. Lieutenants Flynn and Provenza, why don't you hit that crafts mall the Abbess spoke of and see if you can find out anything from any of the vendors there? Maybe they know something the Abbess wasn't willing to tell us. We can do all this, except for the financial report, without involving the Archdiocese, or, hopefully, stepping on any toes."

When the crew reassembled some while later, they looked glum. "Any luck?" Sharon asked.

"Well, Captain, I did get a list of the sisters from the monastery's website, but none of them have criminal records," Tao said.

"Nothing in the financial reports that looks suspicious, either," Gabriel answered.

Sharon looked to Andy and Provenza. "Anything?"

"Well, there was this one vendor…" Andy began.

"That was nothing, Flynn! She was nuts anyway," Provenza snapped.

Andy glared at his partner. "Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning, old man? Just because she was crazy doesn't mean she's stupid."

Sharon took a deep breath. No wonder Brenda had a Merlot habit. "All right, Lieutenant Flynn. What did the vendor say?"

"She said she'd seen Sister Justine mostly, but once in a while, there would be a younger nun there, with Sister Justine, who acted a little weird."

Provenza sneered, "How would that nut know weird? _She's_ weird!"

"Hey, get off my case! You've been jumping on my ass all day! Give it a rest, willya?" Andy shot back.

"Gentlemen, _please_! Lieutenant Flynn, who was this woman?"

"Worked at the booth next to the monastery's."

"And how, exactly, did she say the other nun acted?" Sharon asked, her tone measured, but her frustration was obvious.

Andy sighed. "Well, she said the other nun acted like she didn't really want to be there. But not just as in not being where she was. She said she thought the woman didn't want to be a nun."

"They can quit, can't they?" Gabriel said.

"Yeah, until they make their final professions," Sanchez answered. "Wonder how many sisters haven't taken their final vows, yet?"

"That's an excellent question for the Abbess, when she comes back," Sharon said. "Malcontents are always suspects." She looked at the clock. "All right. We all know how overtime is frowned upon, so let's shut down for the evening and see what happens tomorrow."

The murder room emptied out among murmurs of discontent, but Andy sat at his desk and waited for Sharon to collect her things. "Hey Captain," he said when she came out of Brenda's office.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" she answered with a grin.

"Let's go get some dinner. I could eat a horse.

"Sounds like a fine idea." She looked into Andy's face. "What is it?" He was leering at her wickedly.

"Dunno. Maybe I just like seeing you ordering Provenza around. Makes me think about things."

"You have a mind in the gutter, Lieutenant," Sharon said primly.

"And you know that's right where you want it to be, _Captain_," he replied, then pinched her bottom.

She squealed. "_Andy_! Stop that!"

He shook his head and grinned widely at her. "Then stop yelling like a teenager when I do it."

"Honestly, how has Brenda put up with you characters every day for seven years? Two days is enough to drive me to drink."

Andy slipped his arm around her shoulders. "We grow on you."

* * *

><p>Tao was already in the murder room and working feverishly on his computer when Sharon entered the office the next morning.<p>

"Good morning, Lieutenant. You look like you're on to something."

Tao looked up over his reading glasses. "Good morning, Captain. I may be. I just did basic background checks on the sisters at Divine Cross yesterday, but this morning, I decided to go more in-depth."

"And?"

"Well, turns out, Sister Paula Brightwell attended UCLA. It's become much more common even for cloistered monasteries to ask their aspirants – those who want to become nuns – to get a college degree. They feel it helps a woman decide whether she really wants to enter religious life."

"What about Sister Paula?" Sharon knew sometimes you had to cut Tao off in mid-explanation, or you'd be there all day.

"Oh, sure. Anyway, Sister Paula majored in botany at UCLA. Which means she of all the sisters, would be well versed in identifying deadly mushrooms."

"Is that so? Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. That could be very valuable information. Have we heard from Abbess Clare or the Archdiocese yet?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. We're still waiting."

Sharon nodded. "I am beginning to understand your Chief's impatience to close a case when you know the solution could be so near. At any rate, I suppose we wait until the Archdiocese gives Abbess Clare instructions. But I'm betting Sister Paula was in the kitchen the day Sister Justine died."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Tao answered.

Andy appeared in the murder room, and handed a large cup to Sharon. "Venti skinny caramel macchiato. And for you, Mike, tall Verona, extra shot. Happy caffeine!" he said, raising his own cup and taking a drink.

"Thank you, Andy," Sharon said. "Lieutenant Tao may have a lead on a suspect. He can share it with you while I go take care of some of this coffee."

"Sure."

Sharon went into Brenda's office and watched Andy and Mike as they went over what Tao had found. About that time, a knock sounded on the opposite door and she said, "Come in."

Pope walked inside. "Good morning, Captain. What do we know about this poisoning? Tell me it was accidental. Please."

"We can't make that determination yet, Chief Pope. We're still waiting on Abbess Clare and the Archdiocese. In the meantime, the squad has been doing as much as they can with information that doesn't require church involvement. We've had some interesting information about one of the sisters, and as soon as Lieutenant Provenza comes in, I'm sending Lieutenant Tao and Lieutenant Flynn out with a photo of the sister in question to see if they can make an ID."

Even though Raydor's tone was as cool and precise as always, Pope would swear he could see dislike glinting in her green eyes. "All right, Captain. Keep me informed. And as soon as you hear from the Abbess and/or the Archdiocese, please inform the D.A.'s office."

"Certainly, Chief."

Again, Will Pope could not shake the feeling that Sharon Raydor did not like him. Great. Just what he needed – another ranking officer who had an ax to grind. He left the office.

Sharon stared coldly after him. Andy was right, and had been all along. Sometimes he made snap judgments about people, but in this case, his assessment of Pope was on the money. She turned to see a wedding photo of Brenda and her parents on the side table. She shook her head. "Brenda," she said softly, "I don't know how you're going to get over this one. I just don't know." The phone rang and Sharon answered it. It was Sergeant Campbell in her department. She hung up the phone and looked into the murder room. Well, she had confirmation on the leak. Perhaps it would be some small comfort to Brenda that her favorite detective hadn't betrayed her intentionally because, even though she acted as if she no longer liked him, she did. At least this made sense, whereas Gabriel leaking information merely for his principles hadn't on some level, no matter how Sharon had tried to make the pieces fit. But that was a project to tackle when they had this murder wrapped up.

Andy looked into the office. "Sharon? The Archdiocese just called. Abbess Clare is coming downtown and guess who she's bringing with her?"

"Sister Paula?"

"Bingo," he said. "They'll be here before noon."

"Thanks, Andy. Let me know, please."

"Sure thing," he answered and winked at her.

Once again, Sanchez was sitting in on the interview with Sharon. He seemed to connect with the Abbess, and Sharon could use every advantage, not being the skilled interrogator that Brenda was.

"Thank you so much for coming back in, Abbess Clare," Sharon said. "I believe Sister Paula can shed some light on Sister Justine's death, correct?"

"Yes Captain," the Abbess answered.

Sharon turned to the other nun. "Sister Paula, our background checks show you have a degree in botany."

The woman nodded.

"Very good. And you were working in the kitchen the day Sister Justine died?"

Another nod.

"All right then. So why did you kill her?" No use pussyfooting around. Sharon went straight for the throat.

"I – well, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to make her sick!" Sister Paula exclaimed.

"Why would you want to make her sick?"

"So I could be the extern sister. I was tired of staying in the monastery all day, all the time!"

Sharon narrowed her eyes at the girl, looking so demure in brown habit and white veil. "You're not fully professed. Why not ask to be released from your vows if you found monastery life too confining?"

"I still wanted to be a nun, just not enclosed all the time."

"So why not seek another, more active Order? She could have done that, Abbess Clare, correct?"

The older woman nodded. "Yes. Without giving any notice, even. We have provisions for this. And I would have even written a recommendation to the Order of the sister's choice."

"But that does bring up an interesting point. Did you or your staff feel there might be a problem with Sister Paula?"

"That's why we renew vows on a year-by-year basis. We hope that, by the time a nun reaches her Final Profession, we have determined her suitability for an enclosed monastic life. Any of us will tell you straight out that it's not a life for everyone. Some women are not suited for it, and there's no disgrace in finding out your vocation lies elsewhere. We thought Sister Paula might not be completely right for the enclosed life, but we were willing to give her another year. We didn't foresee _this_," the Abbess answered, her face stricken.

Sharon pitied the woman, but looked at the sister. "I'm sure you didn't. Something else comes to mind though, Sister Paula. You have a degree in botany. Our pathologist tells me that even a small amount of the amanita mushroom can cause death and surely, you knew that. If you just wanted Sister Justine to get sick, why not choose something less deadly?"

"It did the job, didn't it?" Her voice and face had changed. Suddenly, Sister Paula had the same crafty, cunning look about her that so many suspects had that Sharon had seen in the interview rooms.

She heard the Abbess' soft gasp and saw her cross herself, but said, "Indeed it did. And it was supposed to do just that, wasn't it? You committed murder for a position in a monastery where you weren't happy. Look where it got you." She turned to Julio. "Detective Sanchez, please take Ms. Brightwell down to Booking. Make sure you get her habit to return to Abbess Clare. It's the property of the monastery, I believe. Abbess Clare, I am very sorry about this. I'll have Lieutenant Flynn escort you to your car."

"May I have a moment with Sister – with Paula?" she said.

"Of course," Sharon answered. She and Julio left the room. "What a sorry state of affairs."

Julio shook his head. "Being a religious is kind of like being a cop. It's for life and you never know what it's like until you get into it."

Sharon smiled at Sanchez. "Detective, you've got a good head on your shoulders."

* * *

><p>At home, Andy said, "You did good work in there, Sharon."<p>

"Thank you. But this one was not that complicated, really. Once the pieces started falling into place, it was obvious." She sighed.

"What's eating you?"

"I really can't talk about it yet. But eventually, we'll all find out."

"The leak? It's Gabriel. Who else?"

"I can't tell you. I just can't. Not right now. But trust me when I say it's not what you think."

"O.K. babe. I won't push." Andy held Sharon close and laid his cheek against her hair, inhaling her fragrance.

* * *

><p>Weeks later, Sharon was still finding her feet as the head of Major Crimes, and learning to work with Andy on a daily basis. Her IA crew hadn't been nearly as volatile as this crowd. No wonder Brenda had been in a constant state of agitation. It took all of Sharon's naturally even temper to stay cool when Andy and Provenza started going at it. She wanted to put both of them in the corner.<p>

The news this morning was disturbing, though, and Sharon swept into the murder room to see her squad, ostensibly hard at work. Her voice was sharp, icy. "Good morning." She went to Andy. "Let me see your hands, Lieutenant."

"What the… What's the matter with you, Captain?" he said.

"Your hands, Lieutenant. Now," she snapped.

Andy held out his hands and turned them for Sharon to see. They looked like they always did. There were no marks.

"Thank you. Now you, Detective Sanchez." Puzzled, he did as she asked. Nothing.

"Lieutenant Tao, if you please?" Tao showed her his hands.

"And it's probably a waste of time, but Lieutenant Provenza?"

Provenza turned his hands for her inspection and said, "All due respect, Captain, but what the hell is going on?"

Sharon exhaled in frustration. "Peter Goldman is in the hospital. Someone beat the hell out of him last night."

The chorus of cheers from the squad was expected, but Sharon had no patience for it. "And I know you all went out last night. I didn't see Lieutenant Flynn after he arrived at home, so I needed to check on it."

"What makes you think it was one of us?" Provenza said.

"Motive, obviously – not that I blame any one of you. I'd like to get my hands around his short little neck and wring it, myself. But Goldman said he knew his attacker and was sure it was one of the officers in Major Crimes. But he didn't get a good look. He just recognized the voice. No weapons were used, so I was looking for scraped and bruised knuckles. Even gloves would have left marks on your hands, as hard as he was hit," she explained.

"Could have been Gabriel. He'd be my first pick," Andy put in.

"Goldman doesn't think so," Sharon answered.

"Have you spoken with him, Captain?" Tao asked.

"No. I doubt I could control myself in front of him. Even though he's in a boatload of trouble, himself. Anne, you know, David's ex, has him up on blackmail charges, and others may be pending from the LAPD."

"Sounds to me like the little prick made the wrong big prick mad and got his ass kicked for his troubles, and this is his last opportunity to take a swipe at Major Crimes, so he throws it on us," Andy said.

"A reasonable assumption, Lieutenant, but I had to investigate. I've investigated."

The day proceeded as normal, but before he left for the evening, Mike Tao peeked into Sharon's office. "Captain, just FYI. If you want to kick someone's ass, if you do it right, you won't have marks on your hands." He gave her his inscrutable half-smile. "Good night."

"Good night, Lieutenant," Sharon said and shook her head. She knew Tao had taken martial arts training at some point and would know how to do it, even if she never would have thought it of him. She also knew the truth about Goldman would never come out, but she half suspected her squad had gone looking for him the night before and when they located him, he found out the true meaning of the expression "the blue wall." What was that old Bible verse – "sow the wind and reap the whirlwind"? Call it fate, karma or whatever, but it sounded to Sharon as if Peter Goldman finally got what was coming to him. _Que sera sera_. Sharon picked up her purse, turned the lights out and left her office.


	10. Chapter 10: Epilogue

**A/N:** Well, this is it! Hope everyone has enjoyed the story. Thank you for all the kind reviews and FFs. I say it every time, but I truly appreciate them. Please R&R here, and see you in "Major Crimes"!

_Disclaimer: I do not own or operate "The Closer."_

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

"I've got something to discuss with you, Mom," Rosie said.

Sharon sat on the sofa next to her daughter. "Sure. What's up?"

"Well, I've really been thinking about what I want to do now that I am officially a college graduate."

Andy had been reading the ESPN magazine, but put it aside. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"You were considering law school," Sharon answered, a little apprehensively.

"I was. I really was. But wow. That's nearly like medical school! I couldn't even start to think about practicing for four or five years! And I'd be all but broke the whole time," Rosie explained.

Sharon nodded. "That's true. It does require a great deal of hard work, but I know you could do it."

"I know I could too, but I just don't want to be an attorney. I want to really help people, you know?"

"Then social work, maybe?" Sharon said hopefully. Even social work and its burnout rate was preferable to what she knew was coming.

Rosie grinned. "C'mon, Mom. You know me better than that. I really want to go to the academy. If I'm admitted, I'll get paid while I go, and I'm assured of a job when I get out. The LAPD is really trying to hire more women and minorities – you said so yourself."

Sharon had closed her eyes when Rosie said "go to the academy." She looked over at Andy. His expression was sympathetic. He understood, but this was between Sharon and Rosie. "Sweetheart, it's not that you can't make it. I know you can. But I'm your mother first, and I hate the thought of you facing what the LA streets are like these days. I worry about you."

Rosie reached over and took Sharon's hand. "I know, Mom. But this is what I want to do. I know what the hours are like. I grew up with a cop, remember? I know what you deal with. And look at it this way: I've got the first three weeks at the academy to quit if I think I can't deal with it, with no penalties. I've already started working out and running to get in shape to take the physical."

"That's good, but no amount of working out prepares you for what that physical is really like," Andy put in.

"Dad…" Rosie said warningly.

"Staying out of it. Just sayin'," he replied.

Sharon sighed hugely. "Rosalind, if you do this, you know I'll support you in every way. You're a grown woman and you can make your own decisions. It's so much better for a woman than it was when I went through the academy, but it will never be easy. You need to realize that."

"Mom, if I wanted easy, I wouldn't want to go to the academy. I don't want easy. I want to be a police officer."

"It's not like you're packing her off to the Eastern front," Andy said.

Sharon shot him a warning glare. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"

"Neither. Just throwing that out there. Want me to leave?"

"No, Dad. I couldn't talk to Mom about this without you being here, too. Honestly, what do you think?"

Andy grinned at her. "You're like your mom, Rosie. You are one tough cookie. If anybody can make it, you can. But," he continued, as Sharon's glare deepened, "it's not easy. It's a damn tough job, in fact. It's not a safe job, especially for a beat cop. You go into a domestic violence situation, and some idiot might be standing behind the door with a gun. So you have to decide: try to talk him down, or just shoot the asshole and make his girlfriend's life better? It's not an easy choice. You'll see stuff that will make you want to sit down and cry, or beat someone's head in. Kids, old people, animals – it can get to you, and you have to learn to leave it at your desk when your shift ends. Doesn't mean you don't care, but you have to learn to leave it at the station, or you go nuts."

Sharon nodded in agreement. "As usual, Andy, you broke it down to the basics. That's pretty much it. And I know you can do it, Rosie, but I just want you to know what you're getting into. And, no matter how old you are, or how old I am, you're still my daughter and I want you to be safe more than anything else in the world."

Rosie scooted over to Sharon and hugged her. "I know, Mom. I know. But this is what I'm supposed to do. I know it is."

"All right then. If you have to, I guess you have to."

Andy hoped if he ever had to have the same conversation with Gina and Carla, that Carla would take the news as well. But he doubted it.

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><p>The new officers stood in precise ranks in front of the review stand on the academy grounds. For Rosie, the six months of academy had flown by, and she was more than ready to hit the streets. Matt was there, of course, along with Gina, Carolyn and the Major Crimes crew. Andy and Sharon were in their blues, standing with the families on the platform, since they had a part in the ceremony.<p>

The academy chief called her name, "Officer Rosalind Raydor, step forward." Rosie came to attention, marched smartly up the steps, saluted the chief and then shook his hand. He motioned her to where Andy stood, trying to look sober, but failing completely. Since he was now her superior officer, she saluted him, and he gave her the academy diploma, along with a bear hug, lifting her off the ground. "I'm so proud of you, Rosie, sweetie," he said.

"Thanks Dad," she whispered, then went to stand in front of Sharon, and saluted her.

Sharon returned the salute and pinned Rosie's badge on her chest. "Officer Raydor," she said, "You are now a member of the Los Angeles Police Department, sworn to serve and protect." Her voice was strong, but when Rosie looked at her, she saw Sharon's green eyes glistening with tears. She hugged her daughter and it took everything she had to step back, allow Rosie to walk off the dais and return to her place in the ranks.

In the general seating area, Carolyn nudged Gina, "You know, Dad really is a good man. Matt and Rosie needed a dad and he's been there for them, and when Mom finally let go, he's been here for us. He's really cool."

Gina nodded. "He is. Amazing what you find out about people you think you know."

After the graduation ceremony, the new officers threw their caps into the air when the academy chief said, "Dismissed!" and went to meet their families. Lieutenant Tao was on hand with his camera to get photos and there were handshakes and good wishes all around.

Tao e-mailed Sharon the photos that evening, and Matt had printed one out for her. As she sat on the sofa, she looked at it. In the photo were Sharon, Andy, Rosie, Matt, Gina and Carolyn. She touched the picture. It wasn't at all a picture of the family she thought she'd have 20 years ago, but it was certainly the picture of the family she loved.

"You look hot in those blues. Have I ever told you that?" Andy said, from behind her as he leaned over the sofa back and kissed her ear.

"I'll keep that in mind. I've always kind of had a thing for a man in uniform, myself," she replied with a smirk.

"Is that so? Well, I'll keep that in mind, too." He looked over her shoulder at the photo. "Mike did a good job on those pictures."

"We have a nice looking family."

"We sure do." Andy brought Sharon's face around and kissed her.


End file.
